Changing
by Banana14
Summary: An old enemy threatens to wipe out Hyrule once and for all. Link and Zelda must set out together to save Hyrule from a deadly disease and an even deadlier fiend. And along the way, Zelda must discover who she really is. ZELINK. Rated T for mild romance and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Yay! My first fanfic! I'm so excited! This chapter's a bit short, but I promise it'll get better! Sorry the title's lame, I was thinking the plot could change from what I had in mind, and I couldn't really think of a good name. But please review! Tell me what you liked! Tell me what you didn't like! All reviews are welcome….**

**p.s. The story will mostly be in Zelda's point of view, but it will sometimes switch to Link's. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ. But I do own this story plot. SO HANDS OFF! :) **

**So without further ado, my story! **

**Zelda**

I honestly couldn't believe it. My thoughts are going a mile a minute at this point, not intending on stopping.

Ganondorf is dead, and now with no Triforce of Power, he doesn't have a way of coming back.

But this victory is bittersweet. We also lost a great friend today, and truthfully, I'm not sure why. That look in Midna's eyes before she broke the mirror- it was longing. Longing to stay here in the Light Realm. Longing to stay with Link.

Link. I look over at him with a pitying expression on my face. His eyes are filled to the brim with tears he refuses to let flow, and he's making a sad attempt at smiling. He reminds me of a lost puppy that one might find in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"Come on," he says. "Let's get out of here." His voice breaks a bit, revealing his utter sorrow.

As we make our way to Eldin Province, both of us are completely silent. It's obvious that he's lost in thought, whereas I simply have nothing to say. I think maybe I could apologize, but that wouldn't make Midna return.

_We just have to keep our heads up high and move forward, _I think to myself. And then another thought hits me. _Where is forward? Where am I going to go? _The castle is completely out of the question, seeing how it's no longer there. Perhaps I could stay with someone in Castle Town? _Yeah, right. _People in Castle Town aren't exactly the friendliest of all people, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be very happy to have to cater to a princess. I realize I have nowhere to stay in this whole country. _I'm homeless! _I think with a slight chuckle.

"What was that?" Link asks, referring to my laugh.

"Oh," I say, not realizing that I had done it out loud. "I was just thinking about where I would stay, because, you know, the castle is gone."

"You can stay with me," He offers without hesitation.

I stare at him with disbelief, surprised at his sudden proposal. "No, I couldn't impose on you like that."

"It's really no trouble," he responds. "Anyway, it'd be nice to have the company. Living alone gets kind of boring sometimes."

I think about it for a minute, decide I have nothing to lose, and say, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, thank you."

We travel a bit farther and the sun begins to set behind the mountains.

"We should stop for the night. There's no way we'll make it back to Ordon tonight. I know a place." Link says, bringing Epona to a walk.

We head into a dark cave and I'm surprised when I see a small, seemingly vacant village.

"I know someone here," Link says as we walk towards a house at the end of the little road. "I don't think she'll mind if we stay the night." He softly knocks on the door and a very short old woman answers it.

"Ah, Link! It's great to see you! How's that Ilia doing?" she says. _Who's Ilia? _I wonder.

"She's great," he answers. "She's got her full memory back."

"That's wonderful. And who's that behind you?" she says, straining her neck to see me, but with Link being a good meter taller than her, she can't see me completely.

"Hello," I say, stepping out from behind Link. "I'm-"

"Princess Zelda," she answers for me, finally seeing my face.

I give her a confused look, not knowing how she knows my name.

She takes note of this and explains, "I knew your mother; or rather, my sister did. You look just like her. Except for the hair, of course; that's your father's."

"Yes," I say, smiling. "I get that a lot."

She smiles in return. "What can I do for you two?"

"Well, actually, we sort of need somewhere to spend the night," Link says.

"Then by all means, come in!" she says, beckoning us to join her inside. She grabs a few pillows and blankets and sets them on the floor. "I'm sorry, but I don't have an extra bed, but I can make it nice and comfortable for you two right here!"

We all have a small dinner together and I learn that the lady's name is Impaz, and that she lives here alone.

After dinner we both get settled into our respective sleeping arrangements. Link stares up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head and I stare blankly off into space.

After a moment I break the silence that has fallen over us. "Link, I want to thank you again for inviting me to stay at your house. I really appreciate it."

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's really no big deal. It's the least I can do."

I furrow my eyebrows. "You say that as though you owe me a favor."

He looks over at me. "Well, yes. You helped me kill Ganondorf. You saved Midna's life. I owe you more than you could ever imagine."

"Link," I begin. "If anyone owes favors, it's me. You single-handedly saved Hyrule. I can't ever repay that debt."

He chuckles softly. "I wouldn't say single-handedly. Midna helped me a lot."

The air suddenly gets thick with tension. I decide to try and relieve it. "How are you? You know, about what happened earlier?"

He takes a deep breath. "What's done is done. She obviously broke the mirror for a reason. I'll miss her a lot, but I'll be fine."

"That's nice to hear," I say. "She was a really good person."

Link's facial expressions suddenly change to a bit of confusion and anger. "She's not dead Zelda. We're not giving final testimonies. She's just not here. That's all there is to it."

I look shocked at his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry if I made it seem that way," I apologize sincerely.

"Let's just go to sleep. We have a long day of travel tomorrow," he says finally and turns away.

I do the same, and we both fall asleep.

**Author's note: Okay! Chapter one is done. So yeah. What you're reading is not the original chapter. I actually decided to edit it, which I plan to do to all the early chapters. I feel like they're not as good as some of the later ones, and I want to fix that as best as possible. But trust me, I'm not changing anything to significantly that it changes the plot. **

**So until next time, I bid you farewell…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Hey there readers! This is the edited chapter 2. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I have just bought the whole Zelda franchise. Now I own it all. Haha. Not. **

**Zelda**

_I'm running through a thick forest, swerving through trees and ducking under branches, using only the small amount of sunlight that makes it through the thick foliage to guide me. This seems to go on endlessly. I can feel the slight breeze on my face and smell the wet moss growing on the trees. My lungs feel as though they're going to burst any second, but I must keep running. But I've been doing this so long that I can't remember who or what I'm running from. _

_Still running, I slowly look behind me to see what this unknown danger is. I see nothing but endless forest straight to the horizon, but my body won't stop moving. It's as if I have no control of it whatsoever. My heart is beating faster than I knew possible and my legs are moving at inhuman speed. Getting careless, I trip over a massive tree root, falling to the ground._

_Afraid, I quickly look behind me to see if this nameless danger has caught up to me. My heart slows down and I let out a relieved sigh when I see Link running towards me, a winning smile on his face. Surely he's defeated this foe and has come to rescue me. However, moments later, another figure comes beside him, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs his hand. I can't be too sure who it is, because the figure is draped in the shadow of a large tree. I take in its tall stature and the curves of its body. Surely it's a woman. She whispers something in Link's ear and he draws his sword. Struck with terror, I am frozen to my spot on the ground. The only thing I see before he stabs me the heart is the broad smile of the Twilight Princess._

I wake up gasping for air and I clutch my heart to slow its beating.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I hear a soft voice ask. I turn my head in the direction of its source and see Link crouching beside me, one of his firm hands placed on my shoulder.

I shake my head to try and bring my thoughts together. "Nothing," I say. "Just a bad dream."

His concerned blue eyes stare deeply into mine. "Do you want to tell me what it was about?"

"Well," I start, trying to remember everything clearly. "I was sprinting through a forest, and it seemed to go on forever. I was really scared, but I didn't know what it was I was running from. I tripped over root, and then I saw you. You were smiling and running towards me, but then another figure came out of the shadows. They seemed to just materialize out of nowhere. It looked like a woman. She whispered something to you and then you drew sword and-" I cut myself off, thinking about how realistic the dream had been.

For as long as I can remember, I've had dreams like this. Dreams where I can see, smell, hear, touch and taste everything around me as though I was living it. For the past few months, they've been dreams about a great evil and a valiant hero. Usually, I can figure out the symbolism of them easily. However, with this one, I don't understand what it could mean. Should I take it literally? Is someone going to tell Link to kill me, and will he do it? Or should I take it another way?

Link's voice quickly takes me out of my thoughts. "Did I kill you?" he asks hesitantly. I nod slowly. "And you don't know who the woman was that told me to do it?"

I think for a moment, trying to remember the silhouette of the mysterious figure. "I think it was Midna," I say finally. His eyes fill with hope but quickly turn to a look of sadness after he realizes what it means.

"That isn't good," he says, getting off the ground and pacing around the room.

"It's fine, Link. It was just a dream," I assure him, knowing it's the farthest thing from the truth.

"No, it's not 'fine'. Do you see that?" he asks, pointing to my right hand. "That's the Triforce of Wisdom. Your dreams are prophecies, Zelda."

"But they're not always to be taken literally," I counter.

"Then what do you suppose it means?" He asks, worry covering his handsome features.

"I'm not sure," I sigh, running a hand through my tangled hair. "I thought everything was over, that our troubles were gone."

"We'll just have to watch our backs from now on. Let's not get too worked up about this," he says.

"I agree," I say, nodding my head.

The sun is just beginning to rise when Impaz comes out of the kitchen with three steaming bowls of oatmeal. We eat in silence and get ready to leave.

"Have a save journey," Impaz says as we mount Epona. Link and I smile and wave good-bye. "… And Zelda," I turn around at the sound of my name to see her staring right into my eyes with a serious expression. "If you ever need anything, come straight here."

I look at her with a confused expression before replying, "Of course."

She gives me a short nod before Link spurs Epona to trot.

The day seems longer than usual. Neither Link nor I say anything, and we sit in a comfortable silence for hours.

Impaz's words continue to run through my head. _"If you ever need anything, come straight here." _

_What could she mean by that? _I wonder to myself. _What could I possibly ever need so desperately that I have to go straight there? She made it seem so important… I barely even know this woman! What could I need from her that would be so important?_

These thoughts are beginning to make me tired, and before I know it, my head is resting on Link's back, and I'm half asleep. When we get to Ordon, everything is basically a blur. I follow Link up a ladder into his home, he points to a bed and says something, and I'm instantly asleep, without even putting a blanket on my body.

**Author's Note: Meh… shorter than I wish it would be, but whatever… So yeah, that's the edited chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed :) **

**Leave a review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Here's the edited chapter 3! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…**

**Zelda**

I wake up to birds chirping happily. This would be nice on any other morning, but this morning, all I want to do is go straight back to sleep. Traveling for an entire two days at once is not easy. My muscles are stiff and my brain is groggy for not having much physical activity.

I open my eyes half way, but am greeted with the blinding rays of the sun, and quickly shut them again. For a minute I wonder where I am, because I can't quite remember what happened last night. I think I was so tired that I fell asleep while riding Epona.

I take in the feeling of the soft bed under me and the slight smell of pumpkins and pine trees. I must me in Ordon, specifically in Link's house.

After debating in my head weather I should get up or not, I slowly open my eyes all the way and take in my surroundings. The first thing I lay eyes upon startles me.

Six eyes stare back at me. The first pair belongs to a girl, probably about thirteen. The second belongs to a boy, who is no younger than nine. The last pair belongs to a small child, who looks to be about five or six, with a disinterested look on his face.

I lay there in shock as the children stare at me. I assume they are children from the village as I glance at their slightly dirty clothes and faces. Thousands of questions race through my head as I wonder how they got into Link's house, and that brings me to wonder where Link is.

Before I can glace around the house to see where he might be, he walks through the front door in a loose shirt and pants, barefoot, his hair dripping wet.

He finally notices the three children huddled around me and seems just as confused as I am.

"Beth! Talo! Malo!" he says, stepping toward us. "What are you doing?"

The three children disperse from their huddle and walk toward Link.

"Well," the girl whom I assume to be Beth speaks up. "We were walking, and we saw Epona, and we figured you were home, and we got really excited, and we came in here to see you, but instead of you, there was this girl in here, and we got really confused, and Talo said she might be your girlfriend but I was like 'No way Talo! She's not his type!', and then she woke up, and you came in, and here we are now!" she runs on, all in one breath.

Link lets a small smile cross his face and sighs. "Okay guys, calm down. This is just a friend I met while in Hyrule. Her house burnt down and I'm giving her a place to stay until they rebuild it, okay?"

"Then why is she sleeping in your bed?" The littlest one questions.

"Chivalry." He states simply. "You two might want to take notes." He points at the two boys, a slight blush covering the older one's face.

Beth chuckles at his embarrassment, then says, "Well, since you're here and all, you might want to know something." Link gives her a questioning look. "Rusl's sick. And I mean really sick."

I see a brief flash of fear cover Link's face before he returns to his strong demeanor. Whoever this Rusl is, he must be someone important to Link.

"Alright," Link says, eyes focused on the ground. "Why don't you three go ahead and tell everyone I'm home. I'll go see Rusl in a minute."

The children nod and head out the door.

When they're gone, I turn to Link. "Who's Rusl?"

"Pretty much my father. He raised me when my parents died," he responds, putting his boots on and running a cloth through his sopping hair.

I'm not really sure how to respond to that, so I just mutter a quiet "oh" before he opens the door to leave.

"I should be back soon. If you get hungry, just help yourself to whatever's in the cupboards," he says, walking out the door.

After he leaves, I awkwardly sit on the bed, quietly observing his home. It's a cozy little place, with several pictographs hung on the walls. Some are of Link with a few goats and a man that looks to be about Link's age. Others are of the children, Beth, Talo, Malo, and a fourth I don't recognize.

As if on cue, my stomach starts grumbling, and I wonder if I should really go through Link's cupboards and get something to eat. After another grumble, I decide to do so, and I'm pleased with what I see. Stacks of cheese, bread and preserves line the cabinet shelves. _Simple food. _Not prison food, which I had gotten so used to over the past months, and not royal food, which you have to have a very sophisticated pallet to enjoy. Just nice, home-made, simple food.

I grab a few slices of bread and cheese and sit down at the table. The bread is soft on the inside and a bit crunchy on the crust, and the cheese melts in my mouth.

_Wow, _I think to myself, _I could really get used to this. _

**Link**

I walk swiftly to Rusl's house, afraid of what I might see. What did Beth mean by "really sick?" Those kids do tend to exaggerate sometimes… maybe it's just a little cold that he caught while in the city. I hope for the best as I knock on his door. Uli answers it with her newborn baby in her arms.

"Oh, Link!" he exclaims. "It's so good to see you!" She pulls me into a tight hug. I hug back, careful of the baby in one of her arms.

"It's great to see you too, Uli," I say, a bit off-handedly, as I try to look over her shoulder at Rusl lying on the couch. She notices this, and steps out of the doorway to let me inside.

"I'll give you some time alone," she says and heads out the door. "I have a few errands to run."

I give her a nod goodbye and turn back to Rusl, lying on the couch looking extremely pale and sweaty.

"Rusl," I begin, and set a chair from the table next to the couch. "What happened? When I saw you last you seemed fine."

"Oh, Link," he says, his eyes looking a bit glazed over as he turns his head in my direction. "It's nothing but a little cold. It'll blow over soon enough."

I give an exasperated sigh. "Rusl, this is more than 'a little cold'. Look at you, you look awful. Maybe we should take you to a doctor. I know a shaman who lives in Kakariko, maybe he could treat you."

He sighs, and looks distantly at the ceiling. "No, there will be no need for that. Traveling would just put me in a worse condition. I suppose all we can do is just pray to the Goddesses."

"Rusl…" I trail, not wanting to leave this issue to something that we cannot control.

"Link," he says, as sternly as he can muster. "I don't want you worrying about this. I'll be fine. Besides, you just got back. You'll need to relax. Don't fret about me."

I sigh and run a hand down my face, seeing no point in arguing. "Alright, I'll check on you later. But just stay in bed, will you?"

He chuckles a bit. "Yes, father," he says mockingly.

I laugh half-heartedly and see my way out the door.

As I make my way back to my home, I think about what Rusl said. 'I suppose all we can do is just pray to the Goddesses.'

I immediately think of Zelda. She's known to have prophetic dreams… maybe she would have a better chance of talking to the goddesses than I would. I pick up my pace a bit as I walk.

I open my door and see Zelda looking with great interest at the pictographs on my wall. She turns around when she hears me walk in.

"Hey," she greets me with a concerned look on her face. "How is he?"

I shake my head. "Not well. He looks awful."

She bites her lip. "I'm sorry," she says. "Hopefully he'll get better."

I shuffle my feet awkwardly and run a hand through my hair nervously, deciding whether I should say something or not. "Actually, I have a small favor to ask."

She gives me an inquiring look. "Of course. What is it?" she asks.

I take a deep breath. "I was wondering if you could ask the Goddesses what's wrong with him, and maybe how to fix it."

She nods. "I can't promise it will work, but I'll try my best."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thanks," I say, giving a half smile.

Zelda smiles back, sits on the bed, folds her hands and closes her eyes.

**Author's Note: Well there you have it! Please leave a review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: So thanks again to PinkSugarHeartAttacku (Tori) for reviewing again. And thanks to the new reviewers, Theodore Hastings, Addonexus Aquila, LZfanatic12 and ShadowNinja1011. **

**Sorry about the last chapter. I know it was lame. Blame writers block. I need some inspiration… :P**

**So yeah… here's chapter 4. **

**Disclaimer: It's pretty good that I don't own LOZ. I would ruin it. Only Miyamoto is worthy of owning it. **

**Zelda**

"_Dearest Princess," Nayru said._

"_Yes, Nayru?" I said. _

"_This man, Rusl, you care for him?" she asked. _

"_Well, not really, Nayru I just met him. But you see- Link does." I said. "Rusl is like a father to him."_

"_Ah, so you care for Link." She said, smiling._

"_Well, of course. He saved my kingdom." I said, knowing there was more I could say. _

"_Child, do not tell mistruths. I am the Goddess of Wisdom. I can see your heart. You care very much for this Hero." She said. I couldn't stop my heart from fluttering. I finally admit it. I love Link. The Hero of Twilight. _

"_But he will never love me. He's in love with Midna; the ruler of Twilight." I said, holding back tears. _

"_Child, I can see his heart. He feels the same for you as you do for him. Give him time. Let him grieve. Soon, he will come around." She laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder._

"_Yes, Nayru. Now about Rusl." I said, trying to turn the conversation around._

"_Of course. Rusl has a rare sickness. So rare, in fact, that it has no name." she said._

"_But, what will happen to him?" I asked, knowing Link was very worried._

"_Fear not, he can be cured. You must make a potion."_

"_What's in it?" I asked. I had to know, quickly. I had been praying for at least forty-five minutes. It usually only took me five._

"_Only the Great Fairy can tell you. Link will know where to find her." _

"_But-I" I said. I needed to know now. _

"_I must go child. If you need me, you know where to find me." And with that, she was gone. _

I was back by the riverside, but now Link was next to me.

"Well?" He said, looking concerned.

"He's got a rare sickness. We've got to go to the Great Fairy. She'll know how to cure him." I said looking into is blue eyes. It took everything in me not to kiss him, right there and then.

"Alright. I know where to find her." He said, getting up and wiping the dirt from his tunic. He then held out a hand for me to grab on to. I took it and got up, wiping the dirt off my dress just like Link had.

"Oh my goddesses! Link! Your back!" a girl said. She ran too him, arms spread wide, and hugged him around his neck. She then kissed his cheek, and I felt my face redden.

"Ilia! Um, hi." He said, his face also reddening. He was blushing? Link? The great Hero of Twilight? Blushing? I've seen girls hug him and swoon over him before, but no one has ever made him blush.

"Oh, who's this?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at me.

"Oh, this? This is princess Zelda. Zelda, meet Ilia." He said, mock bowing. Ilia then followed, curtsying awkwardly, almost falling over in the process.

"Princess? What brings you to our little village?" she asked, sizing me up from head to toe, with a barely detectable snarl on her lips.

"My castle was destroyed when Link killed Ganondorf. I'll be staying with him for the time being." I said, also sizing her up.

"Staying? With Link? As in at his house?" she asked frantically, looking back at Link.

"Um, yeah. She'll be here for some time." He said, joining back into the conversation.

"Oh, well, no matter. We're having a community dinner tonight. Would you like to bring your _Princess _with you?" she asked, looking at me and raising an eyebrow. _Princess. _Goddesses, I despise that word.

"Um, actually, we've got somewhere to go." He said, taking his hat off and running his fingers through is golden hair. "Besides, it won't be the same without Rusl." He said, placing his cap back on his head.

"I suppose. Well, wherever you two are going, have fun!" she said, faking happiness.

I held back a punch, and just said "Don't worry. We'll have tons of fun." And walked off.

"What was that?" Link said, once we got out of Ilia's earshot. I could feel her hate daggers on my back. "Jealous?"

I just scoffed and said, "You wish." And then a question popped into my mind. "Do you two, you know, have a thing going on?"

"No," he said, running his fingers through his hair once again. He must do it when he's nervous or embarrassed. "I mean, she thinks we did, but she's more of a sister to me."

I let out inward a sigh of relief, and then my mind turned back to the task that was ahead. "It looks like it's about 10 AM," I said, looking up at the sun. "We better get going as soon as we eat breakfast."

"I already had breakfast when you were praying," Link said, looking embarrassed, and running his fingers through his hair yet again. I gave him a questioning look. "I'm sorry, it was just, you were praying for at least an hour, do you mind if you eat on the road?"

"I guess not, how far away is it?" I asked, hoping he would say that the Great Fairy was very close by.

"Very. It's in the Gerudo Desert." He said, boarding Epona and handing some bread and cheese to me. "But I'll do anything to cure Rusl."

I just hoped this didn't involve him getting hurt, or worse.

**Authors Note: Lame ending, I know. But if I had written any more then you'd be reading too much. :P But Dude! Link is sooooooooo annoying! GET OVER MIDNA ALREADY! So yeah… sorry the update is late. I had a birthday party and I was busy all weekend, so… But oh well! So review! I'll be happy :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Wow. Thanks for all the reviews. Seriously. You have no idea how much it means to me. And thanks to PinkSugarHeartAttackYou for saying that I am improving in my writing. I am trying to, so thank you! 3**

**And now… CHAPTER 5! (Whoa, never thought I'd say that, I didn't think this story would make it past chapter 1…)**

**Disclaimer: I OWNZ IT ALL. (not…)**

**Link**

We had been riding all day, not even stopping to take a break. Epona shuffled along the trail, as Zelda laid her head on my shoulder, staring at the sunset.

"Come on girl," I said to Epona. "Were almost in Castle Town." Epona responded to a halfhearted whinny, slowing down even more.

I got off Epona, helped Zelda down, and we both walked through the giant double doors of Castle Town. It was quiet as we walked down the streets toward Telma's Bar, which is unusual, because most people are still walking around at sunset.

We walked toward the stairs of Telma's, hearing faint singing, and not the beautiful kind, but the kind you suspect out of a bar. This was the drunken kind of singing. You know? The kind where you hear a bunch of drunken men singing "Hi-dee-hi-dee-ho!" over and over again. They must be celebrating peace again in Hyrule.

The bar was almost full, except for a couple of stools next to heavily bearded men with beer running down their face. I didn't even bother looking at Zelda; I already knew what the look on her face was. She was probably wide-eyed, and putting a face smile on her mouth. As I turned to look, she was doing just that, but instead of fake smiling, she had more of a half-smile-half-grimace on her face.

"Well, hello honey!" Telma said from behind the bar. "Can I get you something?"

"Ale, please." I said, turning to Zelda, and gesturing to her, telling her to order something.

"Wine please," was all she said.

"Figures the _princess_ would choose wine," I said, knowing it would get on her nerves. She gave me a jokingly mean look and I chuckled to myself as Telma set our drinks down. I downed my drink in a few gulps, and sighed, realizing this was the first good drink I had had in weeks.

Zelda took one sip of her wine and set it back down, making a face. I chuckled again and ordered another ale, but this time for Zelda. Now she would know what it was like to live outside a castle.

"I don't know about this," she said as Telma set the ale down in front of her. "It's not very proper for me to be pubically drinking this."

"Relax," I said "You can stop being a princess for one night."

She looked at me for a while, and then downed her ale faster than I had.

"Wow." She said, looking at her now empty glass. "Um, excuse me, Telma? Could I possibly have another?" Telma just smirked and handed Zelda yet another ale. Zelda smiled, and downed her ale once again.

After about an hour, the drunken men started filing out, leaving just me and Zelda. She was working on her fifth ale. I stopped her as she tried to take another sip.

"What?" she said, groaning. She was definitely drunk. "It's so good." She started wobbling toward the bar counter again, probably wanting another ale.

"I think you've had enough." I said, grabbing her by the shoulders and holding her steady.

"Honey, it looks like you need to go to bed. Do you two have a place to stay?" Telma said, coming out from behind the bar. I shook my head in response as Zelda wobbled. "No problem, honey. I've got a guest room in the back. You can use it tonight."

"Thanks Telma." I said, giving Telma a purple rupee and guiding Zelda toward the door in the back.

"But- but I wa- want another ale." Zelda said, wobbling alongside me.

"Trust me, you don't Zel. You'll feel awful in the morning." I said.

As we entered the hallway that led us toward our room, a man came out of a different room, hobbling over to us.

"Well, hello gorgeous." Said the man, probably thirty years old, wobbling over to Zelda; no doubt drunk.

"He-he hi!" Zelda said, taking a wobbly step towards him.

"Say, you have a place to stay tonight, darling? If not, you could stay with me." he said, smiling a toothy smile with his rotten teeth, and coming even closer.

"Um, you really shouldn't say those things to your princess." I said taking a step between the man and Zelda, clenching my fists.

"And who are you, skirt boy? Her body guard?" He said, glaring at me.

"As a matter of fact, I" I was cut off by a punch in the nose. I ignored by bloody nose and just said, "You shouldn't have done that." I took my shield from my back and slammed him straight on his head. He was just lying there on the cold stone floor now, unconscious. "That's going to hurt in the morning." I said as I wiped off my nose. I then picked up Zelda's swaying body and placed her on the bed in our room. I made a bed for myself on the floor after she was settled in.

"No. Come up here! It's c-c-cold. And I'm scared o-of m-monsters." She said, shivering. I was pretty sure she was faking it, but nevertheless, I climbed up on the bed with her, and she snuggled close. I have to admit, it was nice. But I had no time to enjoy it. I had to get my rest. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

**Authors Note: DONE. Wow. I finished this chapter in one day. You should be proud of me. And yeah. If you don't think Zelda was acting drunk enough, sorry. I don't really have experience in that area. Sorry... So yeah… REVIEW.**

**Oh, and P.S. I updated my profile. So read it. I'll be happy. Bye :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: Banana is back again with an all new chapter! (Get excited.) So yeah. Thanks for the reviews. And Theodore Hastings; you gave me an idea. ;) (For those who don't know, he said that I should do something with Zelda hating being called a princess.) **

**So, I was reading through my previous chapters the other day, and realized that I'm a pretty bad writer. So sorry for all of you that have to deal with that. I felt really bad about it… but I'm honestly trying to get better. :/**

**And now… CHAPTER 6. WHOO.**

**P.S. I played Twilight princess on the GameCube, so Lake Hylia, Gerudo Desert, etc. is on the west side of Hyrule. Sorry if this confuses anyone, because I know that the GameCube and the Wii maps are flipped. This is just how I know the map to be. So think of it as the GameCube map! **

**Disclaimer: I NO OWN LOZ. **

**Zelda**

"Hey Zel, wake up. Come on! Wake up! We've got to go!" I heard a booming voice yell.

"Okay, okay, just stop yelling!" I said; my head pounding as I sat myself up on the bed. I tried to remember where I was, but I couldn't. Every time I thought about last night, all I saw was a blur.

"Zel, I'm whispering. Wow, you must have a pretty bad hangover if you think I'm yelling." I looked at him with a puzzled expression on my face. Hangover? Where was I? He must have read my mind because he said, "You're at Telma's. Last night you had a little too much to drink and you kind of, well, got really drunk. Then this guy came when I was taking you to this room, and he was hitting on you, and I just, I got so mad, and I just" I stopped him before he could say anything else. I was vaguely aware of what happened last night. Unfortunately, that was the most vivid thing I remembered of the whole night.

"Thanks, Link. But since we don't have much time, I think we should get going," I said, getting up from the bed and walking out the door.

When I walked out though, I gasped at what I saw. It was the man that we saw last night, still laying on the floor, in the exact same spot we left him. Link came out of the room, carrying our belongings and seeing what I was still gaping at. He dropped our bags and squatted, checking the man for a pulse.

"He's still alive, just sleeping. He couldn't even get off his lazy butt." Link said, kicking the man's leg. The man stirred a bit, and before he waked up, we grabbed our bags and walked out of the bar. I was surprised when I saw that it was still dark out. It was probably five in the morning.

"Why are we leaving so early?" I asked, looking at the moon, low in the sky.

"We've got a long way to go to get to the Great Fairy. We can use all the time we can get." Link said, walking up the stairs that lead to the south alleyway of castle town.

We then walked in silence to the west exit of castle town, the only noises we heard being those of distant Kagaroks.

"Wait," I said, stopping dead in my tracks. Link turned around to look at me. "We left Epona on the east side of Castle Town. Shouldn't we go that way?"

"I have my ways." He said, smirking and turning back around and walking west again. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be mysterious and followed him.

Once we exited Castle Town, Link brought out a strange looking whistle and blew a sweet tune into it. I then heard a whinny, and from out of nowhere, Epona came, galloping to Link.

"Where did she come from?" I said; my mouth agape.

Link just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know, but she always comes." We boarded Epona, and headed west toward Lake Hylia.

After about two hours, we reached Lake Hylia's bridge.

"Nice. Now how are we supposed to get down there? Jump?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Nope. We fly." He said, walking toward a colorful hut. I ignored his second attempt at trying to be mysterious and we walked into the hut.

It was the weirdest place. There was no furniture, just a ladder leading to a balcony. But the strangest part was that there were cuccos all over the place. What kind of place was this?

"Well, hi there! Welcome to Falbi's Flight by Fowl!" an extremely odd looking clown said. "Are you ready for a flight full of dreams and sweet, sweet bonuses? A Cucco-powered ride around Lake Hylia? You will LOVE it! Next up for fantastication… ONE BIG GUY! Ooh and a new customer! The princess if I'm not mistaken!" he said, bowing an awkward bow. "Okay, that's 20 twenty rupees each. This brings us to a grand total of 40 rupees!" Link then handed the clown forty rupees. "Alright partner! Just grab a cucco of any color and try to sail to the Isle of Riches!" I finally realized what we were here for. We were going to fly down the Lake Hylia. On a tiny cucco? I'd rather take my chances jumping.

Link grabbed a pepper colored cucco and it flapped around frantically. "Grab one. Stay right behind me."

Seeing as I had no choice, I grabbed a white cucco gingerly and stood on a ledge behind Link. He jumped off, holding the cucco high above his head. I looked down to the water below. Then, seeing my life flash before my eyes, I jumped.

Link landed with a soft thud below me and set his cucco down on the grass. I landed on the ground next to him, not so gracefully, and the cucco ran off.

"So princess, how was that?" he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Awful. I'd rather be Ganondorf's puppet again." I said.

"Yeah? Be careful what you wish for." He said, chuckling.

We then headed toward another hut, floating on the water. Another strange looking clown was standing in front of it. This one was far less happy looking.

"Hello. Care to take a flight?" he asked.

"Oasis flight please," said Link.

"Sure. That'll be twenty rupees for you and your lady friend," he obviously didn't realize I was the princess. Not that I care. It was kind of nice that I wasn't getting all the attention for once.

Link handed the clown twenty rupees and we went inside the small hut. It was quite a cramped space. After about ten seconds, there was rumbling, and I could feel the room moving. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst. I heard a loud bang, and when I opened my eyes again, I was soaring through the air, headed towards a large blur of sand. This time I wished I had a cucco. Link landed on the ground before me, sticking the landing. Once again, I was not as graceful as he was in landing.

"So now what?" I said; wiping the sand off that had accumulated on my dress.

"Now, we see the Great Fairy in the Cave of Ordeals." He said.

We walked a bit through the scorching desert, until we came upon a huge boar, just standing there. Strange, I thought only bublins had boars. Link had told me how he destroyed their camp.

"Why is that here?" I asked Link.

"I leave it here, just in case we ever need to be up here. And it looks as though I was right to do so," he said, boarding the huge beast. He held his hand out for me, and got on the giant. Without his strong arm to pull me up, I would have never got on it. It had to be about eight feet tall.

We rode for about an hour, and ended up next to a small plateau. We climbed up to the top of it, and I saw a small entrance into a cave. This must be what Link was talking about. The Cave of Ordeals.

**Link**

We had made it through the Cave fairly easily, only getting a few scratches and minor cuts. But what I didn't understand was why the Great Fairy was nowhere to be found. Usually after every ten floors, she would appear and I could talk to her. After I finished off the two Aeralfos and Darknut on the 48th floor, the door to the 49th floor opened up and we went through. I knew this floor had three darknuts, so it would be difficult, but not impossible.

As we jumped off the ledge to the floor below, I finished off one Darknut with ease. Zelda just stood back as I fought the other two, like I told her to. It would be too dangerous for her to fight. I delivered the ending blow to the last darknut, and sheathed my sword.

I suddenly turned around to see if the door was open. But instead of an open door, what greeted me was a sword in my arm and being kicked against the wall.

All I heard was Zelda yelling my name as the world went black.

**Authors Note:** **CLIFFHANGER! HAHA. I thought about writing more, but I wanted to update a.s.a.p. and this was a SUPER long chapter anyway. But the next chapter might be kind short. Idk… This was a super long chapter wasn't it? Sorry, I just played Twilight princess for about two hours today and I got on a Zelda high. Sorry about that… REVIEW. Me will be happay ;)**


	7. The Great Fairy

**Author Note: Hey! I'm back baby! Ready to write a new chapter!**

**Thanks Theodore Hastings for boosting my self-esteem about my writing. I am trying to get better and better every chapter!**

**So yeah. I'm ready to write a new chapter about how Link is dead. Forever.**

**Jayy Kayy. I could never kill Link. He is my fav. 3 Would you hate me if I actually killed him? I would hate myself. **

**BEE- TEE- DUBBS: you might be wondering: "hey banana? There were only 3 darknuts on the last floor. NOT 4." Well here's what I have to say to you: Naww, man. The second time you go through the cave, there are 4 darknuts. So yeah, in your face. But you probably already knew that, but just wanted to clarify!**

**You may also want to know where the heck the Great Fairy was. Well, I just wanted to make it difficult for our little heroes. So haha!**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Legend. Of. Zelda!**

**Zelda**

As I saw the Darknut stab Link, the world seemed to stop. Link was up against a wall now, probably dead. I tried to stop the tears that were no doubt coming. I couldn't let the monster see my weakness.

"Aww, looks like the _princess _is in trouble." The beast growled. I felt a new emotion now pulsing through my body. Rage. "Are you a little damsel in distress? Hmm… I hate to kill such a cute little _princess_, but master insists. What do you have to live for anyway? Now that your _Great Hero_ is dead." I couldn't see his face, but I'm sure a sick smile was on his mouth. And who was his master? Ganondorf was dead.

"Call me princess one more time." I said, beckoning him. I could feel my blood boiling.

"_Princess_." he uttered. That was it. I was done. Done being called a princess. I was done being thought of as a damsel in distress. I was done with people thinking I couldn't do anything for myself.

I closed my eyes, praying for something, anything, to happen to this awful creature.

It was then that a long, slim sword appeared in my hands. I recognized this sword. It was the sword I dropped and lost when I surrendered to the Twilight. I knew it had been crushed when my castle had been destroyed. I thanked the goddesses for their gift.

Now it was time to destroy this foul beast.

I ran towards it, yelling like a princess should never yell. But today, I wasn't a princess. I wasn't helpless. I could defend myself.

I slashed at the unsuspecting monster many times, removing his armor. After he was left with just his underclothes, he threw his gigantic sword right at me, and I dodged at the last possible second. I felt it whoosh past my ear and bang into the wall behind me. I then stabbed him in the chest before he could even get his second sword out. He let out a groan and fell to the floor, and disintegrated into a pile of ash. I couldn't help myself but smile. That was, until I looked over at Link's limp body lying by the wall.

I ran over to him, putting my ear to his chest and listening for a heartbeat, but I heard nothing. Nothing at all except for my hopeless sobs. I could feel a slight tapping on my shoulder, and I turned around to see a pink light slamming into me, obviously trying to get my attention.

The pink light then flew around Link's lifeless body, swirling around him until the color rushed back into his face.

I knew what this thing was now. It was a fairy.

Link's chest started to rise and fall once again, but I couldn't stop crying. I had almost- no- I had lost Link. He was dead. Stone dead. Cold as ice and as pale white as a cloud. Dead.

Now, he was starting to open his eyes, but he was still bleeding immensely from his arm and head. I dug through his bag, trying to find something to help him. After looking through the bottomless bag a little; I found a red potion, half empty.

I pulled out the cork and brought it to his lips, pouring the crimson liquid into his mouth. He coughed a little before opening his blue eyes and sitting up. I could see his wounds healing quickly and the blood starting to replenish, bringing more color to his face.

"Zel?" he said, looking confused. I was still crying miserably. He noticed this and wrapped me in his arms.

And for once, I felt completely safe.

**Link**

As I opened my eyes, wondering what the heck was happening, I saw Zelda, crying frantically over me.

My hat and tunic were covered in blood. My blood.

"Zel?" I said, wrapping her in my arms. She started to cry a little less now. "What happened?" I absentmindedly stroked my fingers through her hair, trying to get her to calm down.

"We were just- just about to get to the Great Fairy, and then- then this big darknut came out and stabbed you and kicked you against the wall. And you- you died. And then I- I killed him." She said, crying even louder than before.

"Well, um, it's okay now." I said, trying to sound as calm as possible, but inside I was just as frantic as she was. What was going on? Why in the name of Din was there a fourth darknut? And why was the Fairy not on the tenth floor like she should have been?

"And Link? Before I killed him, he- he said that his master told him to kill us. But – but I don't understand. You killed Ganondorf." She said, raising her head to look me in the eyes.

"Zel, there are a lot more evil forces out there than just Ganondorf. Especially his followers. They would do anything to avenge him." I said, realizing that my own words were scaring me. Just when we were starting to get our lives back, we would be thrown back into fighting for what was rightfully ours?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large door opening. Finally, we would get to see the Great Fairy. Finally, we would find out how to cure Rusl.

**Zelda**

We walked into a large room, the same as the others, only this one had a small pool in the middle. There was a faint golden light coming from the center of the pool, which then transformed into a woman with giant wings, wearing nothing but a short skirt. Her turquoise hair was tucked behind her pointed ears- more pointed than any Hylian's ears- and it barely covered her breasts.

"You cleared many ordeals." She said. "How impressive. I am sorry that I could not come to you earlier. I do not know what was hindering me from it. But, you come to me for my insight. Am I correct?"

"Yes Great Fairy," Link said, taking a step forward. "We have a question to ask you. It's about a good friend of mine: Rusl. He has a terrible sickness. Nayru sent us here. She said you knew how to cure it."

"Ah, indeed. But I am afraid that this is not just a sickness, but a curse," she told us.

"A curse?" I said. "Who brought it upon him?"

"Not just him, but many Hylians. There is an evil that threatens to kill off the Hylian race." She uttered. Link took another step toward her, no doubt dying to know what was happening. "His name is Shadow." With a wave of her hand, she created an image of a man. He looked exactly like Link, only he had on a black tunic, and had black hair. His eyes were the color of the blood that was still on Link's tunic. "The only way to stop him is to kill him."

"But how can we cure all the sick people?" Link said. All he wanted was Rusl to be cured.

"There are four beasts: one deep in the forest, one at the top of a freezing mountain, one in the desert, and one in another time. Each beast has something you need. You need these items to create the potion that will cure everyone. But you must hurry before all of Hyrule has succumbed to the illness, and you must also kill Shadow. Now, Hero, cleanse yourself in this spring. Princess," she turned to me. "We have some things to discuss."

Link gave us a weird look, but we both walked out of the room.

Once we were out of the room, she spoke. "Princess," she started. "This Shadow, he has placed a curse on every temple, to impede the Hero. In the first, he will see you as someone you're not. In the second, he will be boastful. In the third, his courage will be gone."

"And the fourth?" I asked.

"The fourth remains untouched by Shadow."

"Alright. I will tell Link." I said, turning around and heading back.

"No," she said, grabbing my arm. "He mustn't know. He will only try to stop that witch cannot be stopped. Because of this, you will need these." In a flash of blue light, I was wearing new clothes. It was a tunic that looked exactly like Link's, only this was blue. My sword was hitched at my waist. I should have known my dress would not be suitable for the situation I was in. "Now, I must go. Good luck Zelda."

She left in a puff of blue smoke, leaving me to wait for Link, so we could start our new adventure.

**Author's Note: And done! Sorry about the lame ending.**

**And now I have a question for all you peoples out there: The dungeon/ temple in "another time" will either be in a different game or modern day. YOU DECIDE. Say it in your review or PM me. Thanks '**

**Banana14 OUT!**


	8. TO THE FOREST TEMPLE!

**Yo-dee-yo. I'm back with a new chapter… Wow, I can't believe it is already the 8****th**** chapter. This might be a long story…**

**And yeah. I'm putting a tiny bit on shirtless Link in here… I haven't had that for a while, and I decided it was time for him to be shirtless again… (Too fangirl-ish? Don't judge…)**

**Now… ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda… *sigh* **

**Zelda**

I walked back through the door to the Great Fairy's room to see Link sitting in her pool, washing the blood from his tunic, hat, arm, and head.

"Hey," he said, looking at me. "What did she want to talk to you about?" he asked, stepping out of the pool with only his pants on.

"Just girl stuff," I said, hoping I wouldn't have to elaborate anymore, since the Great Fairy told me not to tell Link anything about our conversation.

"Say no more. I got it." He said. Thank the goddesses. I couldn't have told that lie much longer. "So where do you think we should go looking for the forest temple?" he said, putting his undershirt and tunic back on.

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe the forest?" I said, sarcastically.

"Well, _excuse _me, princess! Sometimes it's not the easy," he said, and we started to walk towards the portal in the middle of the fountain that would take us back to wherever we wanted to go.

When we came to it, I felt my insides tighten and before I knew it I was in the Faron Spring with Link and Epona standing by me.

"Huh, it's never taken me this far before. Usually it just puts me back in the desert," he said, boarding Epona, and then hoisting me up. "So what part of the woods do you want to search first?"

"Hmm," I debated our choices for a while. "I say we should go to the forest temple that you have already gone to. That seems to make the most sense."

"Sounds good," he said, and kicked Epona into a trot. "So, um, what happened back there? You know, at the Cave of Ordeals."

"Well, um," I started, thinking of how to word this. "This Darknut, he came out of the Shadows, and he just stabbed you. Then he slammed you into a wall, and your arm and head were losing so much blood, that I guess you just, died. And then, he started talking about how his 'master' wanted both of us dead, which I can only assume his master was Shadow. And then, he started calling me princess, and I just got so upset. And I just, killed him." I shook my head, trying to get the awful images out of my mind.

"Look Zel, when I call you a princess, you get that I'm just joking, right?" he asked, turning his head around to look at me.

"Of course, _Hero_," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

We came to a large tree surrounded by a bottomless pit and Link said, "Here we are. The entrance to the Forest Temple. Here, help me move this stone." He said, getting off Epona and walking towards the huge stone blocking the entrance to the temple.

I got off, too, and we pushed and pulled at the boulder, but it wouldn't move an inch.

"Come on!" Link yelled and kicked the rock. "Why won't it move?"

"I don't know," I said, gasping for air after trying extremely hard to move the stone. "Maybe the Forest Temple just is in a different place."

"But I thought- oh well- I guess so. Let's go," he said, walking back toward Epona, who was on the other side of the large tree trunk pathway, grazing. I followed close behind.

There was a sudden rumble, and before I knew it, the bridge had fallen out from under us. Link and I began screaming, he said something about a clawshot, and the world went black.

I never realized how bad it felt hitting water when you fall from about one hundred feet. The water smacks against your skin, and it feels like you were pushed face-first into a pile of sharp rocks.

It was then I realized I was alone, floating in a small green pond.

"Link?" I called to the air, my voice echoing throughout the forest. I quickly swam out of the pond, afraid of what might be lurking down in the depths. "Link?" I called again. But this time, I was answered with a familiar voice.

"Hello?" Link asked, also dripping wet. I looked at me, and his eyes widened like I was a mix of a zora and a goron. "What- how- how did you get here? Oh, goddesses! I missed you so much!" he came over to hug me, and I just stood there like an idiot, wondering what in all of Hyrule was going on. "How did you get here?" he repeated. "You know what? I don't even care. I don't want to waste any more time. You could just leave again. Now that you're here, I have something to tell you."

"What?" I asked, getting more confused by the second.

"I, um, I- I love you," he said.

I froze.

Link loved me? He actually loved me.

"Link, I- I love you, too." I could finally admit it to him.

His lips slowly melted into mine, and we stayed that way for a minute or so.

Then he uttered a single sentence that almost made me pass out. "I love you, Midna."

**Authors Note: DUN DUN DUN. Whoa, man. This is crazy. Hahaha! Cliffhanger! L. O. L. Until next time, my fellow humans. **

**BEE- TEE- DUBBS: did you catch my reference to the TV show that they had back in the day? (if you don't know, there used to be a LOZ series, and Link's catchphrase was: "WELL EXCUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS! **

**~Banana14~ **


	9. Chapter 9: The Forest Temple

**Authors Note: HEY THERE MY FELLOW FANFICTION PEEPS! So I'm back with a new chapter! EXCITING! **

**Sorry about the looooooong delay, I had a huge case of writers block. And then school and life in general keeps getting in the way. So yeah, I also have to design a whole dungeon. Yuck. I've been trying to think of what it would look like, but my mind's drawing a blank. So crap. This might be a lame dungeon, but I don't really work for Nintendo, so I don't have experience creating dungeons. Oh, well. **

**We also had a little anniversary a few days ago… it's the 1 month anniversary of this story being created! (It was Nov. 7****th****… sorry I missed it… :/ ) So celebrate! It's an exciting time in my life. **

**Chapter 9 is here! Whoo!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ… blah… blah… blah.**

**Zelda**

I pulled away from Link, barely breathing. Why had he just called me Midna?We kiss, and then he calls me Midna? What in the name of Din was going on?

I ran over to the murky water, searching for my reflection. I still looked the same. I had the same brown hair, the same blue tunic, and the same pale skin.

"Are you okay, Midna?" he said, coming to my side.

I looked into his perfect blue eyes, and I could see my reflection in his deep black pupils.

Only, it wasn't my reflection.

I had orange hair, tied in front of my neck, a black cloak with the hood up, and perfectly white skin.

I was Midna.

I looked back into the water, seeing my own reflection again. I kept looking back into his eyes, and then back into the lake.

Every time I looked into the lake, I saw myself staring back at me.

But when I looked into Link's eyes, I saw Midna staring back at me, her red eyes boring into mine.

The Great Fairy's words echoed in my head, finally making sense of all this.

'_In the first,_ _he will see you as someone you're not…He mustn't know. He will only try to stop that which cannot be stopped.'_

I supposed I would just have to go along with it, and pray to the goddesses that this would all be over soon.

So playing along, I said, "I'm fine. I'm just a little shook up. I don't really know how I got here. I just… was. I can't really explain it."

"It's okay," he said, taking me in his arms. "You're here now, and that's all that matters. It's just you and me."

Not wanting to get off task, I tried to snap him back into reality. "Link? I have a feeling there's a reason we're here. Maybe there's a temple or dungeon here?"

It seemed to work because he let go of me and we both got up.

"You're right. We should probably get going. Oh right! You don't know why we're here," he said, I shook my head, playing along, not wanting to arouse suspicion. "Well, Rusl is sick. You remember Rusl. Well you see," I only half listened as he told me- or rather Midna- about our adventure so far. I started listening again when he mentioned my name. "And when we both fell, Zelda and I were separated. I fell into this blue lake. It was so weird. I felt this strange sensation. It was like a bolt of lightning running through my veins. But then, world went black, and when I woke up, I went looking for Zelda, but I found you. Goddesses, I hope she's okay. What if she downed in this lake? What if a monster came out and killed her?" He began to frantically look around, wondering where 'Zelda' might have gone.

"Um, I think I might have seen a monster take her that way," I lied, pointing in the direction of a large door carved out of a giant tree. I figured that was the entrance to the temple.

"Hmm, seems about right," he said, opening up the large wooden door, leading us into the dungeon.

And what an awful looking dungeon it was.

The only light in the circular room we were in was that of a small torch in the middle of the room. It barely illuminated the area around it, let alone the whole room.

Link brought out his lantern, making it somewhat easier to see. The walls and floor were covered with spider webs, and I couldn't help but feel a bit of unease.

Link and I started to cross the room. "Stay behind me," he said, putting his hand out to block me from getting in front of him. The floor was very bouncy, making it hard to keep my footing. When we crossed to the other side, Link put his lantern up to the wall and it caught fire. When all the webs burnt away, all that was left was a green moss-covered wall. "Hmm," he said, deep in thought.

"What about the floor? I said, pointing to the bouncy spider web ground.

"Hmm," he repeated, crouching down and putting his lantern the floor. It immediately caught fire, making us fall into the pond below. It seemed as though there was no shore to it.

Suddenly, I felt something wrap around my foot.

"Link!" was all I could say before the tentacle pulled me down and whisked me through the water.

**Authors Note: Done. Not a great chapter, I know. The next chapter will be all dungeon. **

**Review Review Review! I will be so happy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note: Yay! I'm back with a new chapter! **

**Dude, I'm so excited, Skyward Sword comes out tin just 2 days! **

**So here's a new chapter!**

**P.S. I'm making this dungeon all Zelda's point of view, just because Link's a little crazy right now. What's going on with him? You'll have to find out…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ. If I did, I'd be playing Skyward Sword right about now. **

**Zelda**

I was dragged out of the water and thrown onto the hard ground, trying to cough up the water that had filled my lungs. Whatever had grabbed hold of me had let go now, so I stood up and looked around, trying to find out what had dragged me here. There was a thick silk thread that was being pulled up to the ceiling, so I figured that was the answer to my question.

There was a loud splash, and Link appeared, crashing to the ground in the same manner as I did, and another silk thread was pulled back up to the ceiling.

"Link!" I yelled as I ran over to him. He was too busy coughing up water to acknowledge me.

"Midna?" he said once he was finished. "Where are we?"

"Like I know," I said, channeling some of Midna's sarcasm. "Is there a door or something?"

We searched around the circular room, looking for any way out.

When we came up short, we just sat there, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

After about half an hour of silence, I just started to cry. I have no idea why, I just did. Maybe it was because I thought we would never get out of here, or maybe it was because I was just sick of being Midna. Whatever the reason was, I just silently wept.

Link, noticing my tears, came over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Midna? You okay?" he said, kissing me on the forehead.

"Uh, yeah," I said, silently cursing myself for showing this weakness. Midna would never let it happen. "I'm just a little worried, that we might not be out of here."

"It's okay. I'll find a way," he said, stroking my brown hair, or in his eyes, orange hair.

"Aww, look at the two love birds," a growling voice said. I looked up, trying to find the source of the voice. "My favorite snack."

Link and I both stood up, and he unsheathed his sword. I also brought out my sword, and wondered how it looked in Link's eyes.

Eight hairy legs touched down to the ground, and eight red eyes came out from the shadows.

"I am Skullita! Queen of the Skulltulas!" she roared, making the ground shake.

"Midna, any ideas on how to kill this thing?" He asked. I desperately racked my brains for anything I knew about skulltulas, and remembered something that Link told me once: they had extremely soft bellies.

"Go for its stomach!" I told him.

He tried to uppercut at the giant spider, but she was too large to even feel it. How were we going to defeat this thing?

He kept trying to get to her belly, to no avail, and after about five minutes I joined in.

We cut at the Queen for another ten minutes, but we always came up short.

During all of this chaos, the Queen was lunging at us, trying to make us her next meal.

Suddenly, I thought of an idea. Spiders are scared of fire. When I was little, I used to scare the spiders away in my bedroom with fire. I could never bring myself to kill them.

I looked around the room, trying find any source of fire we could use.

"Hey Link," I said. "Can I see your lantern?"

"It's out of oil!" he yelled to me.

I silently cursed to myself, and thought of something else.

"Bombs! Use your bombs!" I yelled back.

He brought out his bomb bag, somehow lit the fuse, and threw it straight at the beast.

It exploded right in front of the Queen, making her go up on her hind legs in terror.

Seeing that her belly's soft spot was far too high above our heads, Link pulled out his bow and an arrow and shot her right where she was most vulnerable. She roared out in pain, but then steadied herself and continued to snap at us.

We repeated this process four more times until the Queen fell to the ground and exploded in dark ash.

Link pulled me over to himself and gave me a big kiss on the lips. I was surprised at first, until I realized that I was still Midna in his eyes.

I thought that when we defeated this temple's boss, that everything would be fixed, but seeing as though we were still trapped down here, figured this was not the boss.

We made our way to the water again, noticing that that was the only option for our exit now.

But before we even got to the edge of the water, a barricade came down, blocking us from our only hope to escape this place, and leaving us stuck in here for who knows how long.

**Authors Note: So yeah, short and boring chapter. Sorry about that. Writer's block. :P But you could help with that little problem! Just click that little review button and write something inspiring!**

**Until next time**

**~BANANA14**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, I'm back! Ready with a brand new chapter!**

**Sorry it's been so long. What's it been? A whole month? Sorry about that… I'll try to not let that happen again. But you know, life gets in the way. But to make up for it, this is an extra-long chapter, and it's the END of this dungeon. HOORAY. **

**So, I bought Skyward Sword, and so far it's pretty good. A lot of this chapter is from the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword. So yeah, call me unoriginal, but I have no idea what else to do with this dungeon. I can't wait for it to be over. I hate having Zelda as Midna, it messes with my mind.**

**Anyway, ON WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ, or anything associated with it. Plus, I have NO MONEY, so it's pretty much pointless to sue.**

**Zelda **

"Search everywhere," Link said. "There's got to be some switch or key or something to get us out of here."

We walked the perimeter of the small circular chamber, but found nothing but spider webs and dirt.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Come here," said Link, crouching down and examining something underneath the dirt. "It's a switch." He stepped on it, but the room remained eerily silent, and nothing changed.

"Wait a minute!" I said, and ran over to a switch right beside it. I stepped on it, and the floor began rising. We rose for a few more minutes until the floor finally locked into place and we arrived in a larger circular room with one door leading out. One locked door, that is.

"Hey, look!" said Link, running over to a large treasure chest in the middle of the room. He opened it up and inside was a long leather string with a hook on the end, attached to a handle. A whip. "Hmm," he said, examining it. "I would have thought it would be a key, but I guess this'll have to do."

"Yeah, but how do we get that key?" I asked, and pointed to a metal key hanging high above our heads.

"Simple," he stated. He snapped the whip upwards, and the key came to the ground. "Here, you take this," he handed me the large whip. "You only have a sword. You could use some more weapons."

"Thanks," I said as I slipped the whip into my belt.

He grabbed the key from off the floor and slid it into the lock. There was a small click as he turned it, and it fell to the floor with a loud thud.

We entered a large chamber covered with purple water and a bridge in the middle.

"Look over there," said Link, pointing to a barred door on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I'd say that's the exit," he responded. "But how are we supposed to get it open?"

"Look at the two switches over there," I said, pointing to long switches that were attached to the bridge.

"Right," he started. "But were surrounded by water, or whatever this stuff is."

"Swim, perhaps?" I suggested. He shook his head. I gave him a confused look, and he responded by pulling some grass from the soft ground and throwing it into the water. It burned away until it was nothing but a sinking pile of ash.

I cocked my head in the direction of two large stone balls floating right beside the platform we were standing on. Link gave me a nod and we both hopped on. Somehow, Link managed to look graceful while probably looked like a court jester.

"I have never done something so ridiculous in my life!" I said. He just gave a chuckle and continued farther towards the middle of the poison lake.

We rolled towards the first switch on the south side of the bridge. I almost fell into the water, but regained my balance as Link pushed the switch inwards. It made a slight click, and the bars on the door rose halfway.

The second switch was on the other side of the bridge at the other end, so we would have to pass under the bridge to get to it. The only problem was that there was a large whirlpool in our way.

There were about two meters from the edge of the whirlpool to the bridge wall, which was just enough room for us to roll by.

Link went first, saying, "Just wait until I get to the door. Then you go, and do exactly what I do."

He rode past the whirlpool with ease, and pushed the switch in on the other side. The other half of the bars on the door slid up, he climbed up onto it and gave me a hand wave to signal it was time for me to pass the whirlpool, only I wasn't so graceful.

I lost my footing and landed on my bottom on the still rolling ball. I tried to climb my way back to the center, but it was a failed attempt. The ball had stopped rolling, but I was still floating towards the center of the whirlpool.

"Link!" I yelled.

"Your whip! Throw it up here and I'll drag you up! Hurry!" he spread his hands out and caught the end of the whip as I snapped it at him. The hook at the end must have gotten caught in his flesh, because he gave out a slight wince, but pulled me up nonetheless. I got my footing on the platform just in time to see the stone ball that I was on sink away into the purple poison water. It was scary to think that if Link had not been there, I probably would have died.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, holding me tight in his arms.

"I think so," I responded, breaking the hug and checking over my body to make sure I wasn't hurt. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

I grabbed his bleeding arm and shook my head. "No you're not. You're bleeding."

"Trust me, I've had worse," he said, and headed towards the now open door.

We stepped inside of a round chamber, similar to the one we fought Skullita in. This one, however, had a large flower in the middle. It was quite beautiful; I had never seen anything like it. It had five leaves on either side of it, and was a light color of purple from its tallest petal to the bottom of its stem.

It seemed like a very nice room to be in, so I wondered why it would be in this dungeon. My question was answered when the flower gave a deafening roar and turned to reveal a large eye staring at us.

My first thought was to bring out my whip and take the beast down. Link brought his sword out, although he couldn't really hit it, seeing how it was about twenty feet tall and surrounded with the purple poison water that we had encountered recently.

I was thrashing the whip around blindly, and I couldn't seem to get a good hit on any part of the beast. Its stem was thick and leathery, so it was impossible to wound it in that area.

After a few more slashes of the whip, it finally got caught in one of the monsters large leaves. I yanked it down hard, taking the leaf with me, and purple blood spilled out of the stem where the leaf had been.

The beast let out a shrill scream and thrashed around violently, making the room shake.

"Link, it's the leaves! We've got to get rid of its leaves!" I said. He quickly brought out his clawshots and started rapidly tearing off the leaves.

We continued to yank off leaves for another minute or so, nimbly dodging its attempts to grab us with its slobbering mouth.

After the final leaf was torn from its stem, the flower let out another ear-blasting screech and fell over lifelessly onto the ground.

"Hmm," Link started. "So what would be the item we need for the potion?"

"Um, I don't know, maybe that?" I said, once again channeling Midna and pointing to an alter that had been blocked from our view by the beastly flower. It held a golden leaf that glowed with an eerie light.

"Easy, Sargent Sarcasm, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page," he said, grabbing the leaf and placing it into the bottomless pouch attached to his waist.

"Oh, come on, you know I love you," I said as we walked out of the exit, and that time I wasn't channeling Midna at all. I truly, honestly, and wholeheartedly meant it. I was just afraid he would never know.

**Author's Note: Done. The next chapter will be out ASAP! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Heartbreak

**Author's Note: Hello again… I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I've been away from home for Christmas and wasn't able to do anything… but no worries, I'm here.**

**So… Skyward Sword? BEST GAME EVER. No joke. It had a great story and great gameplay. So if you haven't even bought it yet… what are you doing with your life? Go play it! Now! Wait, read my chapter first… then go play it… okay…**

**So yeah, I have nothing else to say in this Author's Note…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own legend of Zelda or anything that is part of it… blah blah blah.**

**Link**

"Well, well, well," a bone chilling voice rang through the air as we exited the chamber into the dim light of the forest. Out from behind a tree came a shadowy figure with beady red eyes. It was him. This was Shadow.

I immediately brought out my sword, making a slight ringing sound throughout the woods. Even the birds had stopped chirping.

"Now, now, Hero, no need for that," he said to me, strolling towards us, but staying in the shadows. "I don't want to fight you. Not today, at least."

"Then why did you come here?" I asked, also taking a few steps forward, Midna followed.

"I just wanted to formally introduce myself to you, seeing as how were enemies now," he answered. "The name given to me by my creator is Dark Link. However, you may call me Shadow, seeing as I hate bearing the name of my enemy." He gave a deep bow.

"Great. Now why are you really here? You didn't come here just to let us know who you are, did you?" I asked.

"Of course not. I just wanted to see your face when your heart gets crushed like a worthless grape," he shrugged.

I looked back at Midna, who looked at me with wide eyes. "You touch her, and I swear I'll," my mind raced with thoughts of what I would do to him.

"You'll what?" he interrupted. "Kill me? Don't worry. I have no intention of harming either one of you today."

"Then leave us alone. Come on, Midna, let's find a way out of here," I said, taking Midna's hand in mine and walking away.

"Are you really that stupid, Hero? You can't even tell that the woman beside you is not the woman you love?" he called after us.

I let go of Midna's hand and whipped my body around. "What?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

He gave me a sick smile and then responded, "Open your eyes to what's really in front of you. Princess, get over here." He waved for Midna to some over next to me.

I heard her footsteps getting closer and closer, but they were a bit lighter than I remembered. She then put her hand on my shoulder and I looked into her eyes.

But what met me were not the fiery red eyes of the Twilight Princess, but the pale blue eyes of the Princess of Hyrule.

I took a few steps back, unsure of what was happening.

"Link, I can explain," she said, taking slow steps toward me.

"No, no, princess," Shadow cut in. "Allow me. You see, it all started when I got word of something. My creator, Ganondorf, was planning to conquer Hyrule. I, being the great servant I am, started making my way here to help him. But what do I find out when I get here? A mere boy, with the help of two princesses, killed him. Do you know how that makes me feel? Disgusted. Hurt. Filled with rage! So I made a plan. Kill off the people of Hyrule, making sure to save the Hero and the Princess for last, so they could see all the suffering around them. And then I found out that you were on your way to cure all these people. So I thought: How can I make this an impossible task for the Hero of Twilight and the Princess of Destiny? Simple. Make them go mad. Place a curse on each temple, so that by the time they reach the fourth, they'll want to kill themselves. So in this first temple, I placed a curse on you, Hero. So that when you see the Princess, you see her as the person you love most. And then, when you got the golden leaf, you would see her as whom she really was. And it seems it worked. You look fairly heartbroken. And with that, I must be off," he sunk into the shadows as I turned to look at Zelda.

"Link, I," she began.

"Wait," I cut her off. "Before you say anything, did you know?"

She took a deep breath and averted her eyes from mine. "Yes. But Link, I,"

"No, stop." I cut her off again, rage boiling inside me. "You knew and you didn't tell me. Instead you just took advantage of it. You took advantage of my feelings."

"No Link, it wasn't like that," she said, tears springing out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"No. Just save it. I don't want hear it," I cut her off for the third time, tears of my own threatening to make an appearance. I walked away, looking for an exit. I could hear her quiet sobs and her light footsteps slowly trailing behind me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued walking, still looking for an exit.

After a few minutes of searching, I finally spotted a line of clawshot medallions leading up to the highest level of the forest. I brought out my clawshots and motioned for Zelda to hold on to me.

We silently made our way to the top and rode Epona back to my home.

"Um, we can stay here for the night and head out tomorrow," I mumbled as we made our way up the ladder. Zelda made her way to my bed without a word as I made a bed for myself on the floor.

I cursed myself quietly for being so stupid back in the forest temple, but I was secretly relieved that I had Zelda back.

**Authors Note: OOOOOHHH… Things are happening! Link, please just get over Midna. Sorry that was a short chapter, but I'll try to make the next one longer. **

**Okay, that's all I have to say for this time except: Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13: Truth

**Author's Note: Hey! So this story just reached 50 reviews! Yay! That excites me A LOT. **

**Oh my gosh, I'm super sorry for the long delay. I feel so bad about it. There's really no excuse for how lazy I'm being about this. But I'll really try to update more. But this is long chapter, so I hope that makes up for the very long delay.**

**That's really all I have to say, so, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did, you'd be sad, because I could never come up with the brilliant ideas that Nintendo has had over the years. **

**Zelda**

I awoke with a start to the sound of metal clanking. I opened my eyes and looked around the room, my eyes straining to make out a figure in the darkness. I finally find Link's hunched over silhouette in the corner of the small tree house.

"Link?" I whispered quietly, afraid to even speak to him after what happened last night. There was no reply, but I knew he was listening, because he stopped whatever he was doing and was now just sitting still. "Link," I repeated. "What are you doing?"

"Packing more supplies. You should get up. We need to leave as soon as possible if we want to get to Castle Town before sundown," he replied. However, the warm tone that had always been in his voice was now gone.

"You don't want to check on Rusl before we go?" I asked.

"I don't see what difference it will make if we go there or not. He'll be just as sick either way," he replied matter-of-factly.

I said nothing more as I quickly got up from the bed and secured my sword in its scabbard and my whip in my belt.

After Link was done packing, we both silently ate breakfast and walked outside to board Epona. The moon was still high in the sky; it couldn't be later than five o'clock. Link kicked Epona into a trot and we began making our journey to Castle Town.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As we rode toward the center of Hyrule Field, I couldn't take the silence any longer. I had to talk to Link.

"Link," I dared to say. He didn't respond in any way. "Link," I said again. "I know you're mad at me, but I would really like to talk to you."

He shrugged. "There's not really much to talk about."

"Yes, there is. I'm sorry. Is that what you wanted to hear? I am very sorry. It's just, when I saw the way you looked at me- well, actually Midna," he flinched at the mention of her, but I continued. "I just couldn't stand to tell you the truth."

He sighed. "So you just thought that you could pretend to be Midna for the rest of your life?" he asked in a slightly angry tone.

"No, of course not. Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about what was going to happen. I just couldn't tell you because I knew how you would act." I said.

"And how would I act?" he snapped.

"Just like you are now," I whispered.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I guess I'm sorry, too. Can I be completely honest with you?"

My mood lightened a bit. "Of course. You can tell me anything."

He hesitated before talking again. "I didn't just love her. I was _in _love with her. And the fact that I'll never see her again is awful. But just seeing her at the Forest Temple, even if it was just you, it made me realize that I can get over her. I just need time." There was a bit of silence between us before he spoke again. "And can I tell you another secret?" He asked unsurely.

I nodded. "Yes."

He turned his torso around in the saddle to look me in the eyes. "I'm really glad to have you back."

I felt my cheeks get hot as we rode onward. "I'm glad to be back."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was around six o'clock in the afternoon when we entered Castle Town. And oh my, how a city can change in a matter of days.

The once crowded streets were now dead and lifeless. There was a horrible stench in the air, much different from the usual smell of fresh bread and fruit.

I turned to Link. "What do you think is going on?" I asked him.

He looked around the deserted pathways and shrugged. "I don't know. Let's go to Telma's. She usually knows what's happening around town."

We walked down the stairs just outside the bar and went inside. The bar perfectly matched the deserted streets of the town, save for the three figures sitting at a table in the back of the room.

There was a man with amber hair and glasses hunched over a book, flipping through the pages quickly. He looked to be about twenty years old. There was also a young woman with heavy armor on, carving shapes into the wood of the table with a dagger. She looked to be about twenty, also. Telma was sitting there, too, with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands.

They all looked up when they heard us approach. Their faces automatically lit up, except for the black-haired girl's.

"Link!" said the young man. He put a dagger in his book as a bookmark and walked over to shake Link's hand. He then turned his attention to me. "And who is this?"

"This," Link gestured towards me. "Is Princess Zelda." I gave him a glare. I hate that title.

The man instantly got on his knees, his eyes wide. He grabbed my hand and began kissing it repeatedly. I can't say that hadn't happened before, but I was still embarrassed.

"Please, just call me Zelda; I'm not really much of a Princess right now." I said, pulling my hand away gently. He rose to his feet.

"I am Shad, member of The Resistance," he said, bowing lowly. He turned to the black haired girl. "This is Ashei," she gave a curt nod but said nothing. "You'll have to forgive her," Shad continued. "She's not the most social person here."

"Hey," interrupted Link. "Where's Auru?"

Telma averted her eyes to the floor, as well as the other members of The Resistance. Telma was the first to speak up. "Auru and his family have come down with the sickness that is threatening Hyrule."

I gasped. I knew Auru. It was a faint memory from years ago that I had to fish out of the back of my mind, but I still remembered it. Auru was the general when I was about eight, and the bravest knight I ever knew. He was surprisingly one of my best friends, and I could tell him anything. Being a princess, you don't have many true friends, but Auru was one.

He taught me about life outside the Castle. He told me every adventure he had ever been on, from fighting a pack of wolfos to traveling across the Gerudo Dessert. He also taught me fencing and archery.

The day that Auru retired, things got bad for the Hylian army. Most of the soldiers started slacking off, and became less brave every day.

Link's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Is that why there's no one outside? Has everyone become sick?" he asked.

"Most people," Shad replied. "There are at least twenty dead so far."

My head started spinning. Twenty people? How could this have happened so quickly?

"Everyone's too afraid to go outside." Telma said. "What's even worse is that they're blaming you two," She pointed at us. "They think that you didn't get rid of all the evil in Hyrule."

I sat down at the table holding my head in my hands to stop the spinning. "Well, they're right. We didn't," I said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ashei.

And so Link and I started explaining everything to them. Right from the moment we defeated Ganondorf to right now. They remained silent the whole time, processing our words slowly.

"I think you should tell the people that," Shad suggested.

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Link. "Go around to every house in town and explain?"

"Maybe we can just get them all to come to the fountain and listen to the Princess," Shad said.

And that's exactly what we did. For the next hour, we went to every house in town and coaxed all the partially healthy people out of their homes. Most were unable to even move, and so we had to leave them be, and hope that the word would spread after my speech.

My speech. Another thing to worry about. As a princess, I was always the one giving people news about the current state of our country, and I was never one to have stage fright. But now, surrounded by the sick and dying, telling them that their lives could clearly be over at any moment, would I be able to do it?

I didn't really have much time to think about it, because before I knew it, Link was holding out his hand, helping me step onto the large central fountain. Hundreds of tired eyes staring directly at me, waiting for an answer all their questions.

"People of Hyrule," I begin. The place is so silent that you could hear a pin drop. _What do I say? _I thought to myself. _"You are all dying because we failed to protect you"? _That is the truth, but I'm afraid that would come off as a bit harsh. "I am sure you have noticed a disturbance in our country over the past few months. The truth is, we haven't been completely honest with all of you. And it's your right to know what is happening in your own home. Hundreds of years ago, a group of evil sorcerers called the Interlopers tried to take over the Scared Realm. They failed however, and the three Goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore sealed them away in a land known as the Twilight Realm. Later, an evil Gerudo man named Ganondorf tried to obtain the Triforce, but was defeated by the Hero of Time. Ganondorf was sentenced to execution, but because only the Master Sword can truly kill him, he too was banished to the Twilight Realm. For years, Ganondorf planned to cover this land with a cloud of twilight and rule all of Hyrule. He did this for a few months, but Link, the Hero of Twilight, returned light to this world and defeated him. But there is a new evil arising. One that threatens not to rule all Hylians, but to exterminate them. His name is Shadow, and he is the very embodiment of darkness and evil. Link and I are truly sorry for failing you. We were supposed to protect you, and now you are dying. I apologize wholeheartedly, and I pray to the Goddesses that we will find a way to fix all this. Thank you," I stepped of the fountain, tears slowly rolling down my cheeks.

And that's when I hear it, faint at first, but getting louder. Applause. But just from one pair of hands. And then a chuckle. Not a lighthearted and fun one, but a deep, dark chuckle. I search for who it could possibly come from, but I reach the conclusion just before I lay my eyes on a pair of crimson orbs.

The dark figure walks toward me, taking out his sword as he does.

"Great speech princess," he says. "It's a good thing these people got to know what was going on before they died!" He then plunges his sword into the midsection of an unsuspecting man, and he lands in a crumpled heap on the ground. Multiple gasps and screams come from the crowd.

Link quickly takes out his sword and lunges at him, but not before Shadow kills another two people. Link stabs him right in the heart; a fatal blow. But instead of puncturing Shadow's dark skin, the sword simply slips through, followed by Link.

"Stupid Hero, you can't kill me! I'm nothing more than a shadow! But I think I got the reaction I wanted, so I'll just be on my merry way!" And with that, he disappears, leaving nothing but three dead Hylians and terrified crowd in his path.

**Author's Note: Annnnnd… DONE! Wow. This took long enough. Sorry again!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14: Confessions and Confusions

**Author's Note: So, hey. I know it's weird and it might be annoying, but I think I'm changing this story into the present tense. I feel like it has just evolved into that over the last few chapters. Sorry if this confuses anyone. Again, this is my first fanfic ever, and I've never written something this big, so yeah.**

**Disclaimer: Do I look like I own the Legend of Zelda? **

**Zelda**

Could this really be happening? Did I just watch three of my people be killed? I don't really know, but only one thought forms in my head: _It's all my fault._

It's all my fault, it really truly is. From the very beginning I have made my people suffer. From that very moment when I surrendered my country, I have put my people through such agony. If I would have just chosen to fight, we might have had a chance at winning that war. But it's too late. It's all my fault.

My ears are filled with the cries of sadness over the dead people. Before I have time to say anything, Link guides me back to Telma's bar, trying to encourage me. He says that everything will be fine, that it's no one's fault, but I can still feel the sadness in his voice. I can't help but think he's lying to me. Saying it's okay on the outside, but knowing it's not on the inside.

When we make it back to Telma's, she's sitting at a table, asking what happened. As Link starts to explain, she says she's run a bath for me and that I should clean up. I quietly thank her and head to the washroom.

The tub has a bit of steam coming off of it, and I'm anxious to soak my sore muscles.

As am about to step in, I notice someone in the mirror hanging on the wall. This girl, she can't be me, can she? I look around the room. Yes, I'm the only one in here. That is me.

But how can it be? I'm covered in a thick layer of dirt and sweat, and my legs and arms are a bit more muscular than I remember. My once perfect oval nails are now chipped and covered in Goddess knows what. My hair is a tangled and dirty mess, and frankly I'm surprised I don't have a swarm of flies flying around me.

I quickly get into the bath, wanting to be clean as soon as possible. The warm water automatically starts relaxing my aching muscles. The once clear water turns into a shade of light brown before I even start scrubbing. I grab a bar of soap that smells like lavender and begin to wash my hair and body. It feels really nice just to be clean. I think about how many baths I've had in the past months. Before all this started to happen, I took one at least once a day. How many did I take during the Twilight Invasion? Maybe one a week? Less? I cringe at the thought.

After I'm done scrubbing, I just sit there, not wanting get out of the warm embrace of the water. I try to keep my mind off recent events, but no matter how hard I try, I continue to think about them.

I feel weak. I feel as though I couldn't defend my country when I needed to. I keep wishing my parents were here. I was much too young when they died; I didn't get to learn how to properly rule a country. I just want someone to talk to. Someone to tell me what to do. And a second later I get my answer. Link.

By now the water has gotten cold, so I climb out of the tub and notice that Telma has laid a set of fresh clothes out for me. I quickly dress and put my hair in a braid down my back, and walk out of the washroom.

Link, Ashei, and Shad are sitting at a table, idly chatting. I take a seat next to Link.

"Oh, Zelda," Link says. "Ashei and Shad would like to ask you something."

"Yes?" I question quietly.

Shad begins to speak. "Well, um, we were, um, wondering…"

"We want to come with you," Ashei cuts in quickly. "We don't want to sit on our butts and wait for something to happen. We want to take action."

I think about it a while, weighing the pros and cons. It would be nice to have two more people to help us, but that means two more mouths to feed. However, it also means two more friends, but wouldn't that mean two more people we care about are being put in danger?

I finally give an answer. "Sure," I mentally slap myself. I honestly wanted to say no, but I couldn't bring myself to disappoint them.

"Wonderful!" says Shad. "Well, I'll be off to bed! We have a big day ahead of us!" He takes his book and leaves.

"I should go rest up, too" Ashei says, also heading to her room.

"We should go get some sleep, too, you know," Link says. I nod silently and we both head off to our room.

I crawl into the bed as Link starts to make his on the floor.

"I could sleep on the floor if you want," I offer.

He shakes his head. "No, I'm fine. I've slept on the ground plenty of times before."

I nod and cover myself with the blankets.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

"No, I'm just," Upset. Sad. Angry. None of these describe exactly how I feel, so I just settle for "tired."

"Zelda," he says. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Really, it's nothing. Just a bit upset about what happened tonight," I say.

"I think we all are," he says. "But the best we can do is hope that things will be okay."

I nod. His words soothe me a little, but not enough that I am at ease.

I close my eyes and relax my mind, but sleep never comes. I shift for hours trying to find a comfortable position, but I never discover one. I wake Link up accidentally in this process.

"Can't sleep?" he asks.

I shake my head.

"Do you want to go out for a walk and talk about things?" he gets up from his makeshift bed.

"I think so," I respond.

We walk out to the once again deserted castle town and begin talking.

"So, what's on your mind?" Link asks sincerely.

"A lot," I admit.

"Okay," he says with a slight smirk on his face. "Elaborate."

"Well, first things first, I'm not sure if having Shad and Ashei join us is the best thing," I say.

"Why?" he asks.

"I guess because Ashei is, well, Ashei, and Shad is," I try to think of the right word.

"A total kiss-up?" Link finishes.

"Well, that's not the exact word I was thinking of…" I say.

"Oh, please," He begins imitating Shad. "Oh, princess! It's wonderful to meet you!" He takes my hand and kisses it repeatedly, just as Shad did when we met. "Oh, mind if you bend over so I can kiss your-"

"Link!" I cut in before he can finish, although it doesn't sound very serious, because I am almost doubled over in a fit of giggles.

"But, seriously," he says, now more sober. "Why don't you want them to come?"

I contemplate the exact reason. "I suppose it's because I don't want to put more peoples' lives in danger. Too many people have died already."

"Trust me. Shad and Ashei can definitely hold their own," He assures me. "Is that all that's bothering you?"

"No," I say. We are heading towards the fountain now. The very spot where I watched three of my people die right before my eyes. And then I see it. The very evidence that this is not some horrible nightmare that I have woken up from. The proof that this is all really happening. Three large blood stains. The bodies have been cleared away, but those awful stains have not been washed from the stone yet.

I take a seat at the edge of the fountain and bury my face in my hands. Muttering that it's all my fault.

"Zelda, stop," Link takes a seat next to me, and puts a muscular, yet gentle arm around me. "None of this is your fault."

"Yes, it is," I respond. "If I hadn't surrendered Hyrule to Zant, none of this would have happened."

"Your right," he says. "This wouldn't have happened, but things would be a lot worse. We'd be at war with an army far stronger than ours. You made the right decision."

"But you're the one who saved Hyrule! Not me!" I can feel myself getting angry now, but Link still keeps his arm around me. "I'm basically useless. Just a damsel in distress that has to wait for a Hero."

"Fighting monsters doesn't make you a hero," he explains. "Doing what's right for the good of the people makes you a hero. In my book, you're more of a hero than I am."

"Do you really mean that?" I ask, lifting my head and looking him in the eyes.

"I wouldn't lie to you," he replies, wiping away a single tear that has found itself rolling down my cheek.

We get up to head back to the bar, but I notice something that I hadn't really paid much attention to since we first arrived at Castle Town.

The remains of my castle.

It is now only a crumpled heap of rubble, with not a single stone still intact. I make my way across the debris with Link following behind, pointing out certain places and events that once happened in those very spots.

"This would have been the garden," I say. "I used to love sitting out here and reading." I walk a bit further. "This was the library. Probably my favorite place in the whole castle."

"Why was that?" Link asks.

"I love books," I answer. "They were really my only outlet to life outside of the castle," I come across another familiar area, probably the most familiar, actually. My bedroom. I can even remember where my bed and dresser used to be. Then something brings itself to the front of my mind, and I instantly begin to dig through the pits and pieces of stone.

"What are you looking for?" Link asks, getting on his hands and knees and assisting me.

"A chest. One made of solid steel. Nothing could ever break it," I tell him. "Ah! Found it!" It's a bit dented, but I can still get the lid off. There are only three items inside. Just the way I left it. First, I pull out a necklace. It's very simple; just a small triangle hanging on a golden chain. I'm not really sure what the next item I pull out is. My mother gave it to me about a month before she died, saying that I was to use it only when the time was necessary. It is just a set of odd-looking clothes, but I have never found a use for them. The third item I pull out is my favorite of the trio. A harp.

Link looks at it with interest. "My mother gave me these things," I say. "The harp's my favorite. She said the very first Princess Zelda owned it, hundreds of years ago."

I begin plucking the strings to a tune that has permanently been etched into by mind.

"What's that song?" Link asks.

"It's called Zelda's Lullaby," I explain.

"Weird," he says. "I can remember howling that in the sacred grove."

"Howling?" I ask, chuckling a bit.

He nods. "I was a wolf for about half my journey; you'd be surprised at what I had to do."

I keep playing the song. "This melody is as old as Hyrule. Only very special people get to hear it," I say.

We sit there for a few minutes, enjoying the lovely tune. I yawn, finally getting tired.

"Ready to go back to bed?" Link asks. I nod. He picks up the clothes and the necklace while I carry the harp, gently plucking the strings.

As soon as we get back to Telma's, I place the harp next to my bed and drift off to a dreamless sleep.

I wake up to music. I look over and see Link sitting at the edge of the bed, playing my harp.

It's an amazing sight, actually. Seeing Link being so gentle, so calm. He's playing what I recognize to be Epona's Song, and humming along with it. His voice is soft and sweet. This Link is a completely different Link than who I have seen fighting numerous monsters. He seems completely at peace, with not a worry in the world.

"It's nice," I say, although I wish I hadn't. He stops and clears his throat awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah," he says, scratching his head nervously. "It's got a nice sound."

I come over to sit next to him. "You have a nice voice," I say.

"Thanks," he says, scratching his head again. He hands me the harp. "Sorry, I didn't mean to use it. I know it means a lot to you."

"No, it's okay. You play it really well. And I trust that you wouldn't break it," I slap myself mentally for how dumb that sounds, but he seems to understand it.

"I trust you, too," he says. And now I'm looking into his eyes. Those bright blue orbs that I swear could outshine Lake Hylia. They have an unearthly glow in what little light the room provides. As I'm sitting so close to him, I find myself taking in everything about him. The way his dirty golden hair slightly brushes his blonde eyebrows. The way his pouty lips open ever so slightly when he inhales. The way he smells of pine and fresh grass. Everything.

Before either of us knows what's happening, he leans in and can't help but do the same. When our lips make contact, it's like lightning is flowing throughout my body.

I don't really know how long the kiss lasts; I just know it's way too short. Link breaks away, eyes wide.

"I am so sorry," he says, getting up and walking away.

"No, Link, wait!" I call after him, but he's out of the room, muttering apologies.

And so I'm alone, completely and utterly confused.

**Authors Note: Oh my gosh. Things are heating up! But seriously. This was by far my favorite chapter to write. It feels really nice to be developing Zelda as a character, because she didn't have a lot of development in Twilight Princess. **

**Oh, and before I go, I just want to thank everyone that has reviewed this story. I love getting reviews even if it's just a simple "cool," or whatever. So thanks. **

**And if you haven't reviewed, now would be a fantastic time to do so. :)**


	15. Chapter 15: New Dangers

**Author's Note: Hello, my fellow people. For the thousandth time, sorry for the delay! However, I do have legitimate reasons! Oh, wait, no I don't… I'm just lazy…**

**Blah…blah…blah… on to the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Do I even have to say it anymore?**

**Zelda**

I find myself thinking about the kiss long after Link leaves. I'm very confused as to why he apologized. Did I act as though it was unwanted? I don't think so. I welcomed it. And he was the one who leaned in. He wanted to kiss me. Then why did he apologize?

I don't have time to think about it anymore, because Ashei comes into the room and asks me if I'm prepared to leave. I nod my head distantly.

"Something wrong?" she asks, but not very sincerely.

"No, I'm great," I lie.

"Alright. Then let's hurry up and get going, yeah?" she responds and walks out the door. I get up from my position on the bed and follow her out into the street. Four horses including Epona are lined up waiting for their respective owners to climb up on top of them. Link and Shad are making small talk when we walk up.

"Ready to go?" Link asks. He seems completely unfazed, unlike how he was after the kiss.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say in the same tone he used. I suppose there is no reason to bring up the subject. At least not now. Perhaps later I can get him alone to talk to me about this.

Everyone mounts their horses, leaving me with a large white stallion. He reminds me very much of my old horse, who I assume was killed in the castle explosion. I silently name him Aiden as a tribute to my old horse.

We begin riding toward the exit of town before Link tells us to wait.

"I want to say something to Shad and Ashei," he tells me. I give him a questioning nod of approval and he begins to speak. "I just want to make sure you guys know what you're walking into. This isn't something to take lightly. I know you two have had your fair share of adventures, but so have I. The things that I've seen…" he trails off, appearing to be lost in thought. "Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't died yet. I probably would be dead if it wasn't for a few fairies. But if once of us does die, please continue." He turns to look at me, his eyes boring into mine. "Don't let your emotions get the best of you." I feel my jaw drop, but I quickly close it and it turns into a scowl.

Ashei speaks first. "We know what we signed up for. Let's just head out before nightfall, yeah?"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Ashei," Shad says. "I'm willing to sacrifice my life if it means saving my country."

Link nods in understanding and we head out for Zora's domain.

I lead my horse close to Epona so I can talk to Link quietly.

"What was that about?" I hiss.

"I'm not sure I know what mean," he says with mock innocence.

"Please don't be like this," I practically beg. "Why did you look at me when you told them not to let their emotions get the best of them?"

He sighs. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"Yes," I respond firmly.

"Zelda," his voice drops to a whisper. "That kiss… it was a mistake."

My heart sinks. "Then why did it happen?"

"I don't know. I suppose I was just in the moment. You know what I mean?"

"So it meant nothing?" I ask, failing to hide my disappointment.

"Zelda," he seems almost frustrated. It makes me feel like a small child. "I just don't think this is the best time for this. With everything that's happened recently, I don't want to let my emotions get in the way of defeating Shadow. I'd just like it if we could have the same relationship we did before the kiss. No worries, you know?"

"I understand," I say with a half-smile.

We continue riding for a few more minutes, until Shad halts his horse and jumps down to the ground. He pulls out a small notebook and begins to write in it.

Link stares at him in disbelief. "What in the name of Din? Shad, what's going on?"

"Oh, excuse me for a moment," he says holding up a finger. "This is just so interesting..." he starts muttering things that I can't hear.

Link strains his eyes, attempting to see what Shad is so interested in. He gets off his horse as well and kneels next to Shad.

"What exactly are you looking at?" Link asks.

"Look at this!" Shad says excitedly, pointing to an indentation in the ground.

"A hoof print?" Ashei says. "For all we know it could be one of ours, yeah?"

"No, no. Look at this distinct shape. The way its split apart, and look at the size of it! This is a bulbo print!" he exclaims.

"But there shouldn't be any of those around here. They all left when they realized that Link was stronger than Ganondorf," I say.

"This is still fresh, too," Link says, running his hand over the print.

"Perhaps it was just a stray one," I suggest.

Link shakes his head. "No, there were two riders on it. You can tell by how deep it is."

"Well then let's get going, yeah?" Ashei says. "I don't want to run into one of those ugly things."

We all abide to her words and mount our steeds.

Normally, a journey from Castle Town to Zora's Domain would take about half to three quarters of a day. This was what we originally had planned. By the time the day came to a close, we would be safely sleeping in Zora's Domain. However, our journey quickly turned into a whole day with Shad constantly stopping to observe everything that caught his eye. We found ourselves in the middle of Hyrule field at night with no safe place to sleep.

"We'll just have someone keep watch until midnight and then we'll switch shifts," Link says. "Shad and I will take the first shift. Zelda and Ashei, you can take the second shift. Fair enough?"

_Link's a very good leader, _I muse. _He could make a great general one day. _

We all silently nod our heads and Ashei and I set up our sleeping arrangement. Shad and Link take seats on the ground next to each other. They set up a small fire and Shad starts reading his journal while Link keeps his eyes alert for any possible threat.

I lie on the ground and shut my eyes, but I don't even feel tired. I tell myself that I need the sleep, but I have too many things on my mind. Have any other people died from the sickness? What about the Gorons and Zoras? Have they been affected by it, or are they immune? Maybe Shadow has something completely different in store for them…

By now a good quarter hour has gone by, and I still don't feel the least bit tired. Apparently Ashei was though, because I can hear her deeply snoring.

"So," I hear Shad start to strike up a conversation with Link.

"Hmm?" Link inquires quietly.

"The princess," Shad says. Now my interest is officially peaked. Shad obviously thinks I'm asleep. "You fancy her, do you not?"

I can almost see Link's cheeks reddening, but I tell myself to keep my eyes closed. I somewhat feel bad about eavesdropping, but there's no way I can shut this conversation out now.

"W-what makes you think that?" Link says, flabbergasted.

"Link, I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to members of the opposite sex, but I notice the way you look at her. It seems it's obvious to everyone but you and her," he says rather bluntly.

"Is it really that noticeable?" Link asks. Dozens of different emotions fly through me. Excitement, happiness, anger, confusion; just to name a few. I knew there was a reason that he kissed me…

Shad chuckles quietly. "I knew it!" he says victoriously.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Link whispers. "You can't let her know!"

"I'm not sure I understand why, though," Shad divulges. "If you really do have feelings for her, why not let her know?"

"It's just not a good time, you know?" Link admits. "If I make it known, it could become a weakness. Shadow could use it against me."

Understanding floods through me like a tidal wave. How could I not think about that? Shadow had already used Link's emotions against him in the Forest Temple. There's a high possibility he could do it again.

"Very well," Shad says. "I understand."

"Thanks," Link says. "I really appre- Holy Farore," His sentence is cut off by a quiet sound of metal against metal and I realize he has drawn his sword. "Wake the girls," he tells Shad.

"For the love of Nayru! What are you doing? It's not our shift yet!" I hear Ashei yell after a few moments.

Shad ignores her and walks over to me. "Zelda, wake up," he gently nudges me softly, as if he thinks he could break me.

I get up slowly as if I had been sleeping the whole time and lay eyes on what everyone is now looking at.

Bublins. At least a dozen on bulbos and twenty on the ground. Behind them I can see the silhouette of their leader. King Bublin. His horns are as tall as he is wide and he holds a sword as big as him in his hand.

They come close enough that they are in Link's sword range, but they do not attack. They stand there silently, awaiting a command.

"What are you doing here?" Link demands. "You said you follow the strongest side, and you said you would leave and never bother Hyrule again."

"We do not follow orders from Hylians." His voice is low and gravelly. "We have found a stronger side. One that cannot lose. You have no chance Hero. Give up now. And put your sword away. This is merely a warning. Next time, we will not be so nice." He yells a command in the bublin language and they all turn around and ride away.

No one says anything for a few minutes, but Ashei finally speaks up.

"Oh come on!" she exclaims. "We're not really going to be afraid of some pesky bublins are we?"

"We have every right to be concerned," Shad tells her.

"Shad's correct," Link agrees. "Bublins are not to be taken lightly. They are very dangerous and will not hesitate for a second to kill you."

"And they said that Shadow is stronger than us," I speak up.

No one speaks after that. We sit there in silence, not even daring to sleep, because we know that if we shut our eyes for even a minute, we may not wake up.

**Author's Note: And there you have it. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I figured this was a good place to stop. Especially because it feels like I haven't updated in forever. Now that it's summer, I might be able to update more quickly, but hey, we'll just see what happens. **

**Feel free to leave a review!**


	16. Chapter 16: Heating Up

**Author's Note: Holy crap. I've had such bad writer's block it's not even funny. This is one of the only parts of the story I don't have planned out yet, so right now I'm kind of writing as I go. Also, I first wrote this WHOLE ENTIRE CHAPTER in Zelda's point of view, but then I didn't like it, so I wrote it in Link's instead. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda franchise, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows that by now.**

**Link**

We sit there in silence for countless hours. Ashei suggests a few times that we should just start traveling again and make it to Zora's Domain, but I respond by saying that we should conserve our energy, especially if we aren't going to sleep.

I try telling everyone that bublins aren't something to be too scared of, but even I know that's a lie. Those bublins now have direct orders to kill us, and they won't hesitate to. It's not a bad idea to stay alert like we are.

No one even tries to start up a conversation. We just sit there in the grass and watch the moon make its way across the dark sky. Every once in a while Zelda and I catch each other's eye. Neither of us says anything, but our emotions are clearly written in our eyes.

Mine are filled with encouragement but also concern. I'm scared for her. I worry about her. I know in my heart that she is a strong woman, but I'm in love with her; I don't want her to get her in any way.

Her eyes are filled with a mixture of different emotions. Fear, which stands out above all the others. However, there is a small glimmer of hope within all that fear. It's like a spark in those violet eyes. I realize I love that about her. No matter how bad things get, she always has hope.

We both stare for a few more seconds before I see another emotion enter her eyes. Longing. I realize that that same emotion is in my eyes. She gives me a sad half-smile and looks away. If only she knew how I feel about her.

Slowly, the moon disappears behind the desert hills and the sun rises above Death Mountain.

We mount our horses and begin riding quickly towards Zora's Domain. In a matter of minutes, my tunic is soaked through with sweat. It gets warmer and warmer every second, which is very strange, considering we are heading north.

We make it to Zora's Domain in less than three hours and it seems everyone is as hot as I feel. The water level is remarkably higher than I remember, so much that we are wading in knee-deep water on the ground that should normally be dry.

Despite the heat in the Domain, we bundle up in our cloaks, because we know that the temperature will drop very quickly when we enter Snowpeak.

Or so we thought.

It seems that the once frozen mountain has now turned into a melted field. The only mountains that are left are the ones that weren't completely made of snow.

I hear Ashei mutter a curse under her breath, and Zelda gasp. Shad is scribbling notes in his notebook frantically.

"W-what happened?" Zelda questions, obviously frazzled.

"I don't know," I say. "How could everything melt so quickly?"

"Are we really wondering what happened here?" Ashei asks, rolling her eyes. "Obviously it was that Shadow guy's doing."

"How could Shadow have melted an entire region? It seems highly implausible," Shad adds to the conversation.

"I don't know. How could he make an entire race ill?" I retort.

"Link's right," Zelda says. "Shadow obviously has countless unimaginable powers that we don't even know of."

"Well then, we don't really need these, yeah?" Ashei states, taking of her fur cloak.

When she says that, we all realize that it's scorching hot and we're all sweating profusely.

"So what should we do?" Zelda asks. "Without the slope being covered in snow, we can't very well sled down it, and it would take hours to reach the Yeti's Mansion on foot."

"I don't think we'll have to go to the mansion. Look right over there," I say, pointing to two large white creatures among the brown hills.

We all walk up to them, seeing the familiar, yet unusually sad faces of Yeto and Yeta.

"Uh!" Yeto exclaims upon seeing me. "Why little human come to mountains again? We don't have mirror to give, uh."

"No, that's not why we're here. We just came to visit you two," I lie, not wanting to explain things to them. "Where are you heading?"

"Up there," he says, pointing to the highest mountain in the vicinity. "There still has snows. We need snows. It's much too hot down here, uh."

"Uh, Yeto, hurry," Yeta quietly says.

"Okay, Yeta," he says, softly patting her on the back. He turns to me. "We must go, little human and friends. This no place to raise child, uh."

My eyebrows shoot up when he says this. "Child?" I question.

"Yes, uh!" Yeto says excitedly. "Yeta is with child!"

"Oh," I say. "That was, um, fast."

"We owe it all to you, little human! You restored love!" He says, picking me up and giving me a hug so tight I can feel my joints pop.

"Um, okay," I say awkwardly, scratching the back of my head once he sets me back down.

"Hurry, Yeto. Need to get to top of mountain by night," Yeta says.

"Of course, Yeta," he responds, nodding. "Uh, goodbye, little human. Goodbye, little human friends." He and Yeta turn around and begin walking up the mountain once again.

"See you later," I say, although I'm not sure it's true. I remember someone else saying that some time ago.

_"Link, I… see you later," _Midna said that when she broke the mirror. I fear that the phrase "See you later" has lost its meaning. We may, in fact, never see the yetis again. "See you later" will always just be a broken promise.

But that's just it. No one likes goodbyes. They signal the end of something. I suppose that's why Midna didn't say goodbye.

"Well, now where are going to go?" Zelda asks, looking for a suitable place for shelter.

"How about my dad's place?" Ashei suggests.

"Your father lives here?" I inquire.

"Yeah. Right over those hills. That is, if it's not flooded," she says, pointing to the opposite direction in which the yetis went.

"Well then," I say, mulling it over. "Lead the way."

It takes a few hours, but we finally make it to an old shack just behind a circle of mountains. Ashei walks up to the door and knocks on it.

It opens after a few moments, revealing a scruffy older man with a large sword in his hand. His build is very fit and he seems as though he takes care of himself in that area, but when it comes to hygiene, not so much. His long black hair is matted down and he has particularly thick stubble lining his jaw. Also, from what I can see, he doesn't keep his house very clean.

"What do you want?" he asks gruffly, looking at me, Shad, and Zelda.

"Dad, it's me," Ashei says, stepping into his line of vision.

His face doesn't brighten or show any sign of recognition except for him raising his eyebrows.

"Who are they?" he asks Ashei, gesturing to the three of us.

"Just some friends. Let us in, yeah?" she says, and he opens the door wider so we can walk in.

The whole entire place looks as though no one's been living in it for years. With its layer of dust and its scattered furniture, it looks abandoned.

"What do you want?" he asks again, although not as harshly as before.

No one answers immediately, not knowing what exactly we're searching for. I speak up after a few moments of silence.

"Well, sir," I begin. "We want to know if you've seen anything interesting recently."

He scoffs. "'Interesting?' Are you blind, kid? The whole entire place is melted. If that ain't interesting to you, I don't know what would be."

"What he means is have you seen something like a building or a structure that has revealed itself after everything melted?" Zelda cuts in.

Ashei's father sighs. "Well, when I was hunting this morning, I did see something at the bottom of a newly formed lake. But you'd have to be a Zora to get down there, it's way too deep."

"Alright, thanks," Ashei says, getting up from her chair and heading out the door. She pauses when she doesn't see us following her. "Come on, let's get going, yeah?"

We all hesitantly get up and follow her out the door.

"What was that all about?" I ask curiously once we get outside.

Ashei sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "That's the first time I've talked to my father in two years, so sorry if you didn't get the family reunion scene you were hoping for."

"Well, I figured you would at least ask him if we could stay the night!" I exclaim, surprised.

"Look, we can just find a place to sleep over by the lake Ashei's father was talking about, okay?" Zelda says finally, and we both nod in agreement.

It's about three in the afternoon when we arrive at the small lake Ashei's father spoke of. And he wasn't lying about the depth of it. It has to be just as deep as the Water Temple in Lake Hylia was.

We find a small overhang of rock near the lake and decide it's a nice place to set up our small camp. It's a little too early for dinner right now, so we decide to split up and explore for a while. Zelda and I head north while Ashei and Shad head south.

After a bit of walking, Zelda strikes up a conversation. "It's nice that Yeta and Yeto are expecting a child, isn't it?" she says.

"Yes, it is, but what if we don't get this place cooled down in time?" I respond. "At this rate, even the tops of the highest mountains will be thawed out."

She looks down at the ground for a moment. "I suppose that's the question. What if we don't do everything we need to do 'in time'? If we're too late, everything we did would have been for nothing," she says dejectedly.

"Hey," I say, bring her chin up so she can look me in the eyes. "I believe with all my heart that we can do this."

I'm a bit caught off guard when she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into a hug, but I don't object. I wrap my arms around her waist tightly, not daring to let go.

"Thank you so much," she whispers, still holding on tightly.

I chuckle slightly. "For what?"

"Everything," she pulls away to look me in the eyes. "The past year hasn't exactly been the best, but you've helped my get through it."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," I admit. "You helped me through everything that happened with Midna."

She gives me a smile that makes my heart skip a beat and puts a similar smile on my face as well.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry," I say. "What do you say we go back to camp?"

"Lead the way!" she says, and we begin to walk back to where we set up our camp a few hours ago.

Shad and Ashei are waiting for us there, cooking what looks to be some sort of squirrel.

We eat and talk idly for a while until it's time to sleep. We don't need blankets or even the fire, because it's already quite warm as it is. I drift quickly off to sleep, being at peace of mind for the first time in a long time.

**Author's Note: Done! Nothing really to say here, except thanks for reading!**

**Reviews are welcome and highly appreciated!**


	17. Chapter 17: Going Downhill

**Author's Note: Um… hi. I'd like to start this author's note out with a gigantic I'M SORRY. Seriously, I am so sorry. I barely have any good excuses, but I'll try… So… high school. Enough said. I just finished my very first grading period of high school ever, and let me tell you, it kicked my butt. When I started this story, I was in eighth grade, and school wasn't hard at all. However, now that I have ALL ENRICHED CLASSES, I barely scraped by with all A's and B's. And of course, with me being a control freak, I DO NOT want anything lower than a B. **

**Conclusion: school comes before fanfiction. Also, I'm in marching band, and that takes a lot out of your free time. I've had about two free weekends this entire school year so far. BUT, now that it's a new grading period and marching band season is over, I have a lot more free time to write stories for you lovely folks. **

**All of that being said, there is a positive that has come out of my absence: I've had a lot of time to think about where this story is heading, so there shouldn't be that much more writers block for the next few chapters.**

**Also, there were a few things that happened in my absence. First of all, this story is 1 years old (October 7). So that's cool. Also, the Wii U came out. That's pretty cool. We can look forward to having a new Zelda game in the next few years. And, Shigeru Miyamoto turned 60 years old, and without him none of this would even be happening. **

**I've been rewriting some of the early chapters, so if you haven't gone back to reread those, I highly suggest you do so. Now that I know exactly what is going to happen from now on in this story, I changed some things. I am still in the process of editing a few more early chapters, though. **

**So, wow. Now that all of that is out of the way, let's get on to this much belated chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. All of this belongs to the wonderful Shigeru Miyamoto. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HIM.**

**Zelda**

I wake up to the sound of water splashing violently onto the ground. I open my eyes to witness the downpour. It's raining so hard that I can barely see ten feet ahead of our little outcropping of rock that we have made our camp under. I let out a small sigh and hold out my cupped hand to get a quick drink. I cringe at how warm the water is as it runs down my throat.

_How can this happen? _I think to myself. _How can a frozen wasteland turn into a lush land of rain overnight?_ It's got to be seventy degrees out, and the rain does little to nothing to cool it down.

With the land being mostly rock, the rain does not soak into the ground, but instead creates a small ravine rushing downhill in the direction of Zoras Domain. The rest of the group gets up a few minutes later and they all take a look at the storm with surprised expressions.

Seeing how we won't be able to make it anywhere in this storm, we wait for hours, hoping it will let up. We wait so long that our fingers look like prunes and our clothes are almost completely soaked through. We sit on about an inch of water, munching on food that we brought from Telma's.

The rain finally lightens up hours later. We can see that the sun is just starting to set.

"Well, a day wasted, I suppose," Shad mutters.

We all let out an irritated sigh.

"We can't do this again," I say. The group gives me questioning looks. "We can't just wait around for another day. Obviously shadow is getting much stronger," I gesture to the rain falling behind me. "We can't just wait for things to get better. The weather is going to get nothing but worse. If it's like this tomorrow, we have no choice but to head out into the storm."

"But Zelda," Link starts. "We don't even know how to get into the temple. What do you expect us to do? Dive? We aren't Zoras."

A sudden thought occurs to me. Some tourists who frequently visit Zoras Domain use Zora Scales to help them dive deeper into the water.

"A Golden Zora Scale!" I exclaim with a small smile on my face.

"Ah, yes, the Zora Scale," Shad remarks. "It minimizes water pressure and maximizes lung capacity," he explains to Link and Ashei.

"Well where can we get one of those things?" Ashei asks.

"Prince Ralis is the only one I know of to possess Golden Scales. I suppose we should head back to the domain tomorrow and ask him for a few," I suggest.

"What if the storm is just as bad tomorrow? We won't be able to tell north from south," Link points out.

"We'll follow that stream until we reach the domain," I explain, pointing out the steam that the storm created.

Sure enough, the next day storm is worse than before.

We don't bother packing up our supplies and taking it with us, so we just head out into the harsh rain with our cloaks pulled tightly over our heads. The cloaks don't help at all, and we are soaked to the bone within minutes.

We trudge forward in our water-soaked shoes towards Zoras Domain. We reach it in less than two hours, actually having to swim to it. The domain has at least an extra five feet of water, so we swim up the throne room.

Prince Ralis is there, sitting on the throne, appearing very deep in thought. He seems so weary and concerned that I forget for a second that he is only about thirteen.

_He is still so young, _I think to myself. _To be a ruler of an entire race before even becoming an adult…._

He looks up upon our arrival and only seems to recognize one person in our group. I'm not particularly surprised that he doesn't recognize me, considering I've only seen him a few times in my life.

"Master Link!" he exclaims, surprised to him.

"Prince Ralis," Link responds, bowing a bit.

"What can I do for you?" Ralis questions.

"We need to ask you a favor," Link states.

"We?" he asks.

"Oh, yes. This is Shad, Ashei, and Princess Zelda," Link says, pointing to us respectively.

"Princess!" the Zora Prince blurts.

"Prince Ralis," I say gently, curtsying as well as I can in a tunic and pants.

"I'm sorry," Ralis says, still a bit shocked. "I did not recognize you in your current attire."

"That's quite alright Ralis. I understand that I am not exactly formally dressed," I respond.

He blinks, snapping out of his surprised state. "What was that favor you need?" he inquires.

"Right," Link begins. "Do you happen to have any Golden Scales handy?"

"A few," he says, hesitantly. "Why would you need them?"

"We don't really have time to explain, but I can assure you, you would be doing a great service to all of Hyrule if you would give us some," I plead, just about ready to get on my knees and beg.

He seems to mull this over for a few moments until finally saying, "Alright." He calls a Zora guard and tells him to fetch four scales before turning back to us. "Surely you've noticed the change in Hyrule as of late," he says quietly.

"Yes, Your Highness, and we are doing everything we can to try and stop whatever is causing it," Link assures, his bright blue eyes shining with determination.

A few moments later, the guard comes back with the scales, a string tied to each of them. He hands the shiny golden scales to me and I place them in my pouch for safekeeping.

"I trust you will make good use of them, especially in this weather," Ralis says, gesturing to the falling raindrops around us.

With a final nod, we make our journey to the mountaintop temple.

The trek takes much longer than the time it took to go downhill, due to the strong stream of water moving steadily against us. When we finally make it to the entrance of the temple, we can tell the water level has risen by at least a foot since we've been gone.

I take the Golden Scales from out of my pouch and hand one to each member of the group. We tie them around our necks, and with a deep breath, Link is the first to jump into the slightly dirty water. I jump in after him, followed by Ashei and a hesitant Shad.

Opening my eyes, I can see Link's dark outline diving deeper and deeper until he swims into what looks to be the entrance.

I enter after him and begin swimming upwards about as far as we dove down. I feel my air starting to run out as I near the surface. _So close…_ I think to myself as my oxygen runs out, desperately trying to get to land. I feel my fingertips meet air as I'm hauled out of the water. I begin coughing up a bit of water as I try to tell my thanks to Link.

"Thank you," I say as I regain my breath, turning to face him. However, the face I am greeted with is not Link's, but rather his dark look-a-like, his red eyes peering back at mine.

His face turns upward into a small grin, showing off his pearly white fangs. "No problem."

**Author's Note: And there we go. Again, sorry for such the long delay on this chapter, I will really try to get these out sooner. **

**Don't forget to go back and read the first few edited chapters! **

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


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